


Sugar

by occasionalfics



Category: Alternate Universe - Fandom, Avengers AU - Fandom, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Comics), Thor (Movies), Thor Au - Fandom
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, F/M, Sugar Daddy AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2019-03-11
Packaged: 2019-09-27 08:43:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 69,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17158850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/occasionalfics/pseuds/occasionalfics
Summary: Y/N, a plus size artist from Malibu, isn’t expecting much to happen at her Uncle Phil’s retirement party. What she never expected was for her cousin Daisy to introduce her to the tallest, most beautiful man she’s ever seen. Or that he’d want to spend any time with her at all, let alone date her.Originally posted @ occasionalfics.tumblr.com in 2018





	1. Get One Little Taste

**Author's Note:**

> Playlist can be found [here!](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3LH4wkpZCGGjuXMLmIoozA)

“I’m not so sure about this, Daisy,” you said to your cousin from her bathroom. You pulled on the [mini dress](https://www.forever21.com/images/1_front_750/00310184-03.jpg) she’d bought for you, tugging on its hemline to bring it further down your thighs. You were slightly taller than Daisy, which she never took into account, so the dress rode higher on you than it would on her, if you were anywhere near the same size. Which would’ve been fine if you weren’t heading to your uncle’s retirement party.

Her generosity didn’t speak for the width of your thighs, or how they’d shake and rub against one another whenever you moved all night. Daisy had impeccable taste as far as color and arrangement, but she almost never took into account that maybe you didn’t want to show off the thickness of your legs and arms, or as much cleavage as you were currently sporting. It didn’t matter that, in the mirror, you looked hot as hell - you knew you did, and you were proud of that. But in a club? Where sweaty bodies would be pressed against your sweaty body? And your legs would chafe and rub all night?

You sighed and pulled out your [Thigh Rescue](https://megababebeauty.com/collections/all-products/products/thigh-chafe). You were gonna need it, since the dress was too tight to wear a spanx or even regular underwear.

“Girl, hush,” Daisy said as she moved past you to lean over the long marble counter. She put on mascara as you rubbed on the Thigh Rescue, then stood and turned to your side to examine the decorative beading of the dress. “Your ass looks amazing and you’re like a fucking gazelle with all that leg.”

“I don’t really wanna look like a safari animal,” you retorted, pulling on the hem again. “I’d rather just look like a regular fat girl who wants to get drunk and go home.”

“I’ll never forgive you if you just get drunk and go home,” Daisy said, twisting her mascara tube closed. She stood at full height - still shorter than you - and nodded, ignoring your comment about your weight, like she always did. Her short curls whipped back and forth before she smiled at you. “I know you think this is weird-”

“Yeah, because all of this,” you said, gesturing to the dress and the makeup and the hair, “is for your dad’s retirement. It’s fucking weird, Daisy.”

“Don’t think of it as a retirement party,” she said, lifting her arms and shoulders into a shrug.

“But it is.”

“Shut the fuck up. Think of it more like going to a club with me with the hopes of getting dicked down later,” she said.

“Daisy, _your dad is going to be there_. Your mom is, too. And probably a ton of their old friends. What you just said is not only weird, it’s plain disgusting.”

She paused for a second, but shrugged before leaving the bathroom. “Let’s go,” she said. “We look hot, and I know a guy that can get us into the VIP floor.”

You rolled your eyes, then turned back to the mirror. You gave one last tug to the dress then sighed, knowing you weren’t going to change. Your makeup matched the dress, and Daisy wasn’t going to give you time to fix everything. She’d drag you out of the house naked by your hair if it meant getting to the club to flirt with the bartender.

You turned the light in the bathroom off, then went into Daisy’s room. You’d left your phone on her charger by her computer, and when you took it off, you saw you had a text from your mutual friend Jemma. She and her fiance Leo were off scouting locations for their wedding - which made you dread the idea of a destination wedding. Jemma knew you had no money to your name, but Daisy kept saying her family would take care of getting the both of you wherever it was Jemma and Leo decided to tie the knot.

You hated that you had to depend on Uncle Phil like that. But you did. Even with work, you still had a hard time affording rent and bills and student loans - all of which Daisy would kill you for thinking about if she could read minds. She’d tell you to _shut the fuck up and worry about finding a cute guy to dance with_ or something.

“Let’s get the hell outta here,” she said, which was much easier to deal with.

You sighed and followed her out of the house. Daisy’s blue Punch Buggie was warm, despite the cool night in Malibu. She put the windows down, even though the wind blew her hair all over, and sped around the small streets. You hated letting Daisy drive, but your car was in the shop, because of course it was. It just needed routine maintenance, but you didn’t have an appointment and it’d become a whole thing - basically, it left you with no choice but to let Daisy drive you around, whether it be to work or to your Uncle’s highly inappropriate retirement party.

You still couldn’t figure out why he wanted to have it at _this_ club. The place wasn’t new or even relatively classy. It was just a club, like any other club in California. But Uncle Phil had insisted. It was here or nowhere.

Daisy practically dragged you inside, then to the bar. She ordered a drink for you because she knew you too well, then dragged you further into the club to the table your family was taking up. The both of you greeted her father and mother - your Uncle Phil and Aunt Melinda. You chatted with family for a while, but eventually, after another drink from Daisy, she pulled you up a set of stairs and flirted with a man on the inside of the VIP section before you were allowed in.

You heard her scream, “Thor!” before you saw him.

A tall, gorgeous, broad-shouldered man smiled. You thought you almost recognized him, but you couldn’t say from where. He called out, “Daisy Coulson!” before heading for your cousin with his huge arms outstretched.

Daisy jumped into his embrace, spilling her drink all over the place. Neither of them noticed, even as you reached to catch her glass before it fell to the ground. “I’m so glad you made it! But shouldn’t you be downstairs?” she asked.

“I already made my rounds down there,” he said, and for the first time, you heard a distinct Australian accent. “That father of yours is up to no good whatsoever.” He winked at Daisy, whom he’d set back on the floor at that point.

She rolled her eyes, then turned to you. “So this is my cousin, (Y/N),” she said.

Thor’s smirk turned into a genuine smile, his teeth whiter than the suit he was wearing. You didn’t miss the once-over he gave you, nor the fact that his smile never faltered as he did. “Always nice to meet more of Daisy’s family,” he said, holding his arms out for a hug again.

You stood back and stared. His going in for a hug, rather than a handshake, was a little more than a little weird. Daisy nudged your arm with her elbow and said, “This is Thor, Odin’s son,” with a nod at Thor, who’d dropped his arms _and_ his smile.

“Oh, um,” you mumbled, slightly ashamed that you hadn’t recognized Uncle Phil’s former boss. Or his former boss’s son, who was also his former boss, you guessed. “Hi.”

He didn’t exactly perk up, but he wasn’t disappointed. At least, not that you could tell. “Right!” he said. “You’re the niece Phil’s always talking about! The artist, right?” Before you had a chance to give him an uninhibited look of discomfort (at the fact that he seemed to know more about you than you did about him), he held his hand out. “As Daisy said, I’m Thor. Odinson. And it’s nice to officially meet you.”

_I can settle for that_ you thought. You forced a smile and shook his hand. “Nice to meet you, Thor. And, yes, I’m an artist. Sort of.”

He stared, and you felt your face heat. You couldn’t tell if it was from his gorgeous blue eyes - eyes like lightning - on you or the fact that Daisy was stepping in to say, “Don’t listen to her- she’s an artist. Super talented. The next Kahlo!”

You rolled your eyes, dropping your hand to your side. “I am not,” you muttered. But it didn’t matter. Daisy and Thor continued some conversation that you weren’t paying any attention to. You watched waiters move around the VIP booths with trays of drinks and food. There was an entirely separate dance floor up here with all of six people grinding on each other. The lights were dimmer, the music softer, the temperature more moderate. You liked it, despite the fact that you did feel rather out of place. You were wearing donated clothes, drinking drinks Daisy had to pay for, and were meant to be downstairs with your Uncle and Aunt.

But then Thor called your name, and you turned to him and Daisy absently with a, “Hmm?”

“Thor asked if you’d like to dance, (Y/N),” Daisy said, her eyebrows wiggling like crazy little caterpillars.

You looked at them both, noticed they had similar but not matching smiles on their faces, and shrugged. “Sure,” you said. But then you thought about it - this ridiculously good looking man wanted to dance with you? Over Daisy? _Daisy fucking Coulson?_

Before you could say anything on the subject, Thor pulled your arm through his like he was helping you make an appearance at a Quinceañera. And you let him. You didn’t say anything as he pulled your hand from his arm when you made it, then spun you around and gripped your hips, bringing you back against him. He moved in time with the music, and you tried to keep up, but all you could focus on was the heat of his palms through the extremely short dress, and the way he guided you through the dance. His grip was soft, his body comfortable behind you, and for a little bit, you let yourself get lost in the movements.

When the song changed, he spun you again, this time keeping you facing him. His eyes were mesmerizing after as many drinks as you’d had, and they bore into you with intensity. You convinced yourself you had to be imagining that - you were a **big** girl. You had to be sweating up a storm. You’d come up to the VIP section with Daisy - your gorgeous cousin Daisy who was thin as a fucking toothpick and beloved by literally every man that laid eyes on her. Thor couldn’t possibly be preferring you over her.

And yet, you were the one to break away from him. “Sorry,” you said. “Just…tired, I guess.”

He smiled. _Smiled._ “Yeah, sure,” he said. “You wanna take a breather?”

“I wanna go home, to be honest,” you said.

His smile didn’t fade. You couldn’t handle it. You tried to look for Daisy, but she was gone. Of course she was. Thor called your name, and when you looked back at him, his face was so glorious and genuine that you had no choice but to listen to what he said.

“Let me drive you. I’m just about done with this place anyway.”

You could hear Daisy in your head, screaming at you to do it. To go home with Thor Odinson, to _get it on_ or something else completely stupid and cliché. That should’ve been reason enough to turn down his offer, but you didn’t. Regardless of the fact that Daisy would never forgive you if you did, you realized that you would never forgive yourself if you did.

So you smiled at him and nodded. “I’d appreciate it,” you said softly.

He looped your arm through his again, then walked you downstairs, past the dwindling party for Uncle Phil, and out of the club. He’d valeted his car, so you waited with him in the cool night and felt proud of yourself, even though all you were doing was accepting a ride home from an absolute knockout of a human being.

“I wanted to say this inside,” he started as you waited, “but it’s really fucking loud in there. You look stunning, and I feel…really lucky I was the only one you danced with.”

You felt your body heat up as you looked away from him. “Thank you,” you said quietly, to some extent hoping he wouldn’t hear.

He shook his head. “Of course. But I’m still trying to figure out why neither Daisy nor Phil ever introduced us. Your cousin knows me well enough to know I’d ask you to dance, it seems.”

You couldn’t control the heat rising to your neck and face. It was embarrassing, even if he couldn’t see it. Just the feeling of it was enough.

Thor didn’t say anything about it, though. You missed him giving you another a once-over, but then he stood straight once more and said, “Maybe they just didn’t want this to feel like a setup.”

“Maybe,” you agreed, smiling at him because you couldn’t help yourself. “Daisy knows I’m not very fond of being told what to do.”

He laughed a deep, rumbling sound that came from somewhere in his chest. “Good to know,” he said through the noise.

You made eye contact with him and felt your knees lock. Your face softened and your jaw dropped just a bit, but then his car was brought around. He took the keys from the valet, slipped a bill into their hand, then stepped forward and held the passenger door open for you. You took one look at the vehicle, and your jaw dropped even further.

“A Range Rover?” you asked.

Thor shrugged. “I call her Darcy,” he said with a wiggle of his eyebrows. “She’s an older model, but I can’t let her go.” He pulled your hand from around his arm, then held onto you until you’d gotten in the seat. You stared the whole time, even as he shut the door for you.

As he went around the car, you glared ahead of you and tried to wrap your head around all of this. He as perfect. _Too perfect_. Daisy hadn’t prepared you for this. She had to have set this up - you were positive of it. All of this was right up her sleeve, but you couldn’t fathom how it was working. Thor was considerate and helpful and gorgeous - he should’ve had a Victoria’s Secret model hanging from him, sitting in the seat you were sitting in, but he didn’t.

“You okay?” he asked.

You jumped, not having realized he’d gotten in the car until then. He already had the key in the ignition and the engine running, too.

“Um, yeah,” you mumbled, sitting back to buckle yourself in. “Thanks for the ride, by the way.”

He nodded and pulled away from the club, out onto the street. “No biggie.”

You gave him your address, then the car was silent. You were preoccupied with your thoughts, as usual. It was hard not to overthink what was happening when Thor was so quiet, when he was so close because you were in his car. You didn’t even know him, but you knew what people would say if they saw you with him. You wondered if you cared - if you _really_ cared what anyone else besides you and Thor thought. You supposed some part of you did, but that wasn’t the part that made you dance with him or get in his car. It definitely wasn’t the part of you that recognized that he’d wanted both of those things too.

You realized you’d been thinking the same things over and over without speaking when he pulled in the driveway, which was empty, and parked the car. You slowly looked at him and decided to go ahead and start some kind of conversation. “Is it okay if I ask why you have an accent?”

He stared for a moment, then shrugged. “That’s an odd way to ask, but I grew up in Australia. Dad had an office here, so we visited a lot.”

“Right. Of course,” you said, shutting your eyes because _of course_ that was the answer. It was obvious.

You’d forgotten until then that Odin had been Phil’s boss when he was alive. You guessed that technically made Thor Phil’s boss up until he retired. You also assumed it made Thor ridiculously wealthy, given his white suit, his car, and the little bit of backstory you’d gotten so far.

You were scared Thor thought you were an idiot or something, but when you looked at him again, you saw that he was smiling at you like he had been all night. And he stayed like that for a few seconds before he unbuckled himself and got out of the car. All you could do was follow him so that you weren’t left feeling like more of an idiot by sitting alone in his Range Rover.

You led him to the door and turned to face him with your back to it. You pushed hair away from you face and forced yourself to make eye contact. It was the polite thing to do, even if his glance was intimidating. There was still lightning in his eyes, like a perpetual storm lit up whatever was in him.

“I had a really nice night,” he said softly, pushing his hands into his pant pockets like he was sixteen and waiting for a sign that you wanted him to kiss you. And how could you not? His head hung low, but he was tall enough to still be able to look at you. Up close, without the overwhelming sensations that the club inundated you with, you realized that he smelled like the ocean - like salt and coconut suntan lotion and the sea. You almost fell into the trap of the smell and leaned forward, but you caught yourself before you went too far.

“Me too,” you told him. “Thank you. For everything, not just the ride.”

He stood there with his shoulders high and elbows locked, and you almost allowed yourself to think that he was nervous. But someone that beautiful, that confident on the dance floor, that _rich_ couldn’t be nervous because of you. That didn’t make any sense.

Thor caught you off guard when he asked, “Would it be alright if I took you out later this week?” He squinted hopefully at you, biting into his bottom lip in a way that made your stomach lurch.

“You…want to take me…out?” you asked, your eyes widening as you processed his question.

“Unless you don’t want to-“

“No, I do,” you interrupted, knowing Daisy would be screaming later when you recounted this story to her. Good screaming, but screaming nonetheless. “I’m just…surprised is all.”

He settled into a more relaxed stance, then pulled his phone out of his pocket. After he unlocked it, he handed the device to you. You looked at him for a moment, wondering if this was real, and when you deemed it so, you took the phone and programmed your number into it. Then he took the phone back, though he didn’t look down at it.

“Are you busy Tuesday night?” he asked, biting into his lip.

You shook your head. He pulled his phone up to type, then you heard your phone ding from inside the clutch under your arm.

“Good,” he said. You heard the click of his phone locking before he put it back in his pocket, all while still keeping eye contact with you. He was too coordinated - too much of everything, it seemed. That only made the heat in your face deepen, especially when he said, “I just asked you what time is good for you,” with a nod toward your purse. “Just let me know, and I’ll see you then.”

“Yeah,” was all you managed, but you felt your lips spread into a smile. It was still impossible to believe that this man - Thor Odinson, whoever he was - wanted to take you out, but you could hear Daisy in your head excitedly yelling about it, about how you needed to go for it and take a chance on a gorgeous man.

“G’night, (Y/N),” he said, and suddenly he was slowly leaning toward you. You didn’t stop him or stand back, so his lips came into contact with your cheek - your burning hot and maybe a little splotchy cheek - and then he stood straight once more, winked, and headed off to his car.


	2. Work It Out With A Bottle Of Wine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daisy is too excited for your date, but at least she's there to help you get ready for it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Playlist here!](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3LH4wkpZCGGjuXMLmIoozA)

Daisy came home after you fell asleep, but she found you in the studio - or rather, Uncle Phil’s office that you took over on the weekends - the next day. Sundays were your painting days, when you worked on as many commissions as possible. Or when you painted a pair of eyes that were so familiar and bright blue that you almost couldn’t figure out who’s they were.

You’d dreamed of these eyes. Of the possibilities within them, the depths they held. The storms inside. It all made you breathless and hot, and when you woke up, you immediately pushed your blanket off and tried to think of something else, because the eyes were consuming you and you didn’t even know who they belonged to.

Daisy knew the second she came into the studio.

“Why are you painting an extreme close up of Thor?” she asked, a steaming cup of coffee between both of her hands. You looked at her, away from the painting, and rolled your eyes. She was gorgeous, even after a full night of partying and drinking, and you were jealous.

Daisy thought you were rolling your eyes at her question, so she gestured to the painting. “Those are Thor’s eyes! Don’t look at me like that!”

“Whatever,” you said. “How was your night?”

You turned back to the painting to continue, stopping and sitting back when you realized Daisy was right. The eyes on the canvas were the same ones you looked at most of the night before. You hadn’t even noticed you’d been painting them until she said something, and now you were ready to quit for the day and yell into the back of your pillow.

Daisy pulled over her father’s swiveling chair, plopping into it with a smirk on her face. “It was fine. Met a cute guy named Grant - total dark and broody type, but that’s not what I came to talk to you about.”

“I was curious about that,” you said, only half-sarcastic. Daisy knew you worked on Sundays. She almost never interrupted you until it was time for dinner, and that was only if you kept at work until then. Still, you gave her a half-joking side-eye, which she ignored.

“Tell me what happened,” she said, leaning forward to grip your arm in her hands. Tight. Like she always did when she wanted you to tell her something. “I saw you and Thor dancing and then, like, ten minutes later you were gone!”

You looked at the painting and sighed. There was no avoiding Daisy when she wanted gossip, not even for work. Besides, this piece wasn’t even a commission - which you had plenty of to keep you busy. This was something you’d done without even thinking about it and you were starting to regret it.

“That was it,” you told her, putting the brush in your hand along the edge of the easel. “We danced, and then we left.”

“What kind of car does he drive?” she asked, her eyes widening. “Did you do it in his backseat?”

You blinked slowly at her. “A Range Rover, and no. You know me better than that.”

“Oh please, (Y/N). You were looking at him like a lion stalking its prey when I introduced you,” she said. “You want me to believe you didn’t jump him at the first chance?”

“I didn’t,” you said with a shrug. “And I did not look at him like prey!” You didn’t feel like you had, that was for sure. According to your own memory, you’d looked at him like he was some kind of God. Like you still found it hard to believe he’d paid attention to you, with your wide hips and tight dress that did little to hide the parts of your body you otherwise didn’t like showing off like that. But he’d put his hands on those hips. He’d been gentle and respectful and barely even kissed you goodnight. Like you were a real, full person to him.

_And_ he asked you out. That hadn’t happened many times before, not in the way that it had. The thought made you feel light.

Daisy pursed her lips, then leaned further down, putting her chin against your arm. “Okay, fine, whatever. If you didn’t jump his fine ass, what _did_ you do?”

“I let him drive me home?” You didn’t know what she was fishing for, for once. “And I made a huge fucking fool of myself when I asked why he had an accent. Thanks for the heads up, by the way.” You tilted your head and gave her a sarcastic smile, too full of sass to be mistaken for anything else.

She sighed and asked, “What’d I do now?”

“You introduced someone that looks like _him_ to someone that looks like _me_ ,” you said, unable to stop yourself. You didn’t even blame her for it, really. You should’ve been genuinely thanking Daisy, but the thought in the back of your mind that she’d set you up kept nagging. “And now I have a date with him in two days and I have no idea how that happened.”

Daisy actually took a silent second to stare up at you. All that yelling in your head from the night before was preferable to the unknown elements in her lack of saying anything. Her eyes got even wider, and you sat back, thoroughly freaked out.

“Stop looking at me like that,” you said again.

A mad grin broke out across her face. “ **You have a date with Thor!?** ” she asked, finally yelling like you knew she would.

You cringed, bringing your arms up in a defensive move. Daisy didn’t give you a reprieve, though.

“When’re you going out? What’re you gonna wear? Oh my god, where’s he taking you? Have you talked to him? Give me _everything_!” She pulled your arm back down to her level, shaking you like she was mugging you.

“Dais- Daisy, please,” you said, still tense. “Tuesday night, I don’t know, I don’t know, and no. He texted me before he left after he dropped me off, but I haven’t gotten back to him yet.”

She took a deep breath before asking, “What the hell are you waiting for?” in a much calmer tone. “You should ask him what you should wear!”

“I’m not gonna do that,” you said, starting to turn back to your canvas, where Thor’s eyes stared back at you.

“Fine,” Daisy said after a second. Then she was silent, and you picked up your paintbrush while you turned your eyes to the side to look at her. She had her phone up to her face, sitting back against her chair, her teeth biting into her bottom lip.

“What’re you doing, D?” you asked, dipping your brush into the water cup you kept close. The acrylic had started to dry on the bristles, and you wanted to change colors anyway. You swirled the color around the cup while she ignored you. “Daisy?” You felt your pulse quicken as a wave of nervousness started in your stomach.

“Nothing,” she mumbled. “Do your work.”

Her phone beeped once. She took a second, then smiled wide at you. “You know that dress you just got from Torrid?” she asked. “[The black one with the straps and asymmetrical skirt](https://hottopic.scene7.com/is/image/HotTopic/11355003_hi?%24pdp_hero_zoom%24)?”

“Did you just text him _for me_?” you asked back, your hand on the stem of the brush as it sat in the cup.

She ignored your question. “Wear the black one with the straps, (Y/N). You can thank me later.”

“I can’t believe you!” you said, your voice raising in volume.

“But can’t you?” she asked, sitting up a bit again with a smirk. “And, really, you should be thanking me. Without my help, you wouldn’t hate a date at all, let alone an idea of what to wear or where you’re going.”

“Besides the fact that Thor would have to tell me at some point where he’s taking me-”

“Someplace you’ll love,” she said. “It’s really good. You’re welcome.” She patted your arm and made to stand, but you shook your head.

“Oh, you’re not going anywhere,” you told her, gripping her wrist. You put your brush aside and waited until she sat again to let go of her hand. “You don’t just get to come in and bother me while I’m working about a guy and _not_ talk about your night.” You turned on your stool to face her, crossing one leg over the other. “Spill.”

Unlike you, Daisy was an open book. At least until you told her to flip a page back or close the book entirely. Sometimes you didn’t need all the details of your cousin’s escapades, but that morning, you were prepared to take whatever she’d give.

“So after you and Thor went off to dance, I just kinda stood around.”

“By yourself?” you asked, always one to worry, especially about Daisy.

She nodded. “I’m a big girl, babe. And anyway, this guy comes over with two pints and he hands me one and asks if it’s okay if he stands with me.” She held a hand up while you rose your brows, so you said nothing and let her continue. “I told him that was kind of a weird thing to ask, and conversation just…kinda went from there, I guess. We danced for a little, made out on one of the couches up there, and then I went home.”

“So…no dicking down then?” you asked, pushing one foot out to kick her knee gently.

Daisy rolled her eyes again. “No, we didn’t hook up. He did give me his number, though, so maybe soon.” She shrugged.

“You think you’re gonna see him again?” you asked. “Do you want to?”

Her slowly lips softened into a smile as she thought. That made you relax a bit, because knowing Daisy was happy at all made you worry less. “Kinda,” she told you. “He was really nice. A little distant here and there, but I guess that happens sometimes.” She bit her lip in a way you didn’t see her do often. Like she was in thought, focusing on whatever it was about this guy that she liked.

And you smiled back at her. “Guess, in a way, we both got lucky last night,” you said, without mentioning that she was the reason you got lucky at all. You didn’t need to. You both knew it already.

//

At first, you couldn’t believe Daisy would go behind your back and text Thor for you. But when you thought about it, of course she did.

Daisy was excitable, but she was your number one fan. Your best friend. The closest thing you’d ever gotten to a sister. When you’d first moved into Uncle Phil’s house, you and Daisy would sleep on her floor in sleeping blankets because you didn’t like being alone. She took care of you then, and continued to do so even as you got older. She was always enthusiastic about getting you out, and while sometimes she ended up setting you out on dates with complete duds, you thought that maybe this time, she’d done her work right.

That was why you agreed to let her do your makeup for your date. “He already knows what I look like with a full face. I want something a little more understated,” you said.

Daisy nodded and got to work. She picked up every product you had between the two of you and tried out different things, wiping streaks she didn’t like away and starting over until you were starting to sweat and get antsy. You took a break, though not before she turned you away from the mirror. “I want you to be as blown away as he will be,” she said, sitting on floor against the wall.

“I’m still shocked he even asked me out,” you said, your eyes falling to your palms in your lap.

“I’m not,” Daisy said, knocking her elbow into your shin softly. “You’re a damn knockout. And, like, the coolest person I know.”

You smiled but didn’t look up. “But we hardly even talked the other night. We just danced and then he took me home.”

“So you’re a mystery to him,” she said. “That’s a _good_ thing, (Y/N).”

You didn’t know what to say to that. You weren’t sure you wanted to be a mystery - what was the appeal of a mystery anyway? You were a person, not an adventure. But you couldn’t just tell Daisy that you wanted to skip the introduction parts of a relationship and dive into the cute Honeymoon phase. She’d tell you that no relationship ever worked like that, except for, like, Chandler and Monica from _Friends_.

Instead, you asked her, “What if it’s all just a joke?” You looked past your hands at your thighs, which touched and splayed out across the surface of the chair. They popped out the cuffs of your shorts and widened, like they were water balloons and not human legs. “I mean, he’s like a fucking marble statue, D. And I’m…”

She put a hand on your knee and forced you to look at her. “Stunning. You’re stunning. Always.” Her eyes were serious and her jaw was tight. You nodded before she said, “And this isn’t a joke.”

“But how do you know?” you asked, forgetting everything you knew about Daisy and Thor for a moment.

She said, “He was my dad’s boss up until a few days ago, remember? I’ve known him as long as he’s been coming to Malibu.”

_Of course_ you thought. You nodded, but Daisy apparently didn’t seem convinced that you felt better about the whole situation.

“Thor doesn’t play with people like that. He’s…pretty decent. I wouldn’t have introduced you if I didn’t think you’d like each other.”

You paused, then felt yourself smile at her. You put your hand over hers and sighed, “Thanks, D.”

She smiled back, then stood up and wrapped you up in her long arms. “You good?” she asked, gently pushing a finger into your forehead a few times.

You nodded, and she went back to work. This time, she was determined to get the look right, and after a short while, she turned you to the mirror and told you she was done. Your jaw dropped as you looked at your reflection; you got up from the chair and leaned on the bathroom counter, staring at yourself. Daisy had applied a tiny bit of contour, just to bring out your cheekbones and to create a slight shadow below your chin. The eyeshadow was neutral but dark, making your eyes pop. She’d picked a deep maroon lipstick that you loved and smiled through.

“Holy shit, D. I look amazing,” you said, turning your head back and forth to see the whole look.

“All I did was enhance a few of your features. Most of that is all you,” she said with a small nod. “Now sit back down and let me get your hair in order.” And she did. She didn’t even use a heated tool - she just went to down twisting and arranging, and when she was done, you were so pleased you almost teared up. “Don’t you dare cry,” she warned. “I worked really hard to get that makeup perfect.”

You laughed with her and nodded, fanning yourself to keep everything in. When you were calmer, you moved on to finding that black dress she’d been talking about. It was in the back of your closet, in the section where you hung things you loved but never had the occasion to wear. You guessed you’d have to move it up now, if this date worked out well.

God, you hoped it worked out well.

//

You’d decided to meet Thor at the restaurant, rather than having him pick you up. For a first date, you wanted to keep things as casual as possible. That, to you, meant giving yourself the ability to drive home and sleep in your own bed, and Thor didn’t seem offended by the idea.

On the drive over, you thought about how much easier it was for him to drive since he didn’t have to wear high heels, but you knew that didn’t matter. The restaurant wasn’t far. You had the fleeting thought that you missed the Range Rover, but wouldn’t let yourself focus on it.

When you showed up exactly on time, you looked around the restaurant and sighed. A good sigh. The place looked fancy, but not so fancy that you felt uncomfortable. Your black dress and silver heels fit in with the borderline casual Italian decor, and you felt yourself smile as Thor stood from a table by the wall.

He was wearing a maroon blazer that looked so good against his skin it was unfair. His eyes were bright, and his smile made your knees buckle. He waved you over, so you grinned at the hostess and told her you’d be joining the man in the back before heading right over to the table. Thor moved around the table and pulled your seat out for you, only going back to his own after you’d gotten comfortable.

You started off with the normal small talk. Thor asked how you were doing, you answered in the positive. He asked about Daisy, and when you said, “She’s her usual super nosy self,” he laughed and nodded.

“I was surprised she was the one that texted me about tonight,” he said. “Not bad surprised. Just…” He shrugged. “Surprised.”

You cleared your throat, putting your menu down now that you knew what you were going to order - something without a lot of sauce so that you wouldn’t make a mess, but also something to see if he’d question your choice.

“Sometimes I don’t know what I’d do without Daisy,” you said, smirking at yourself.

He sat back in his seat and nodded. “She made it very clear that she wants me to get to know you before I, and I’m quoting here, ‘try anything disgusting.’” He smirked, and you felt your face heat up again.

“God, of course she said that,” you mumbled, shaking your head. “Sorry about her.”

Thor shook his head slowly, still smiling. “She’s protective. It’s kinda cute, actually.”

It was then that a waiter came over and took your order. Thor asked for a bottle of wine, and when you placed your order, he didn’t even bat an eye. He said nothing about it even after the waiter left, so you relaxed a bit.

“So,” he said when you were alone again. “You said you’re an artist?”

“Kinda,” you said. “I actually work in an art gallery downtown. I’m really a glorified secretary.” You shrugged. “But that’s just my day job.” But it wasn’t what you wanted. It was just to pay the bills. That’s what you told Daisy every time she suggested you take a leave of absence to focus on your art.

“And your night job?” he asked, leaning his elbows on the table. He balled one hand in a fist, then wrapped the other around it before putting them against his mouth. You watched the whole thing with fascination. All you could think was that someone like Thor was sculpted, worked at until they were perfect, and that it wasn’t fair.

Then you blinked and remembered he’d asked a question. “Oh- I, uh. I paint. Mostly commissions through twitter and instagram.”

His eyes crinkled as he smiled slowly, then he pulled his phone out. “That explains this,” he said, making your heart straight-up stop. You knew exactly what he was pulling out before he even unlocked his phone, and you knew you were going to have to kill Daisy when you got home.

He pulled it up on his screen, then turned the phone to you. Sure enough, Daisy had sent him a picture of the portrait of his eyes that you’d been painting a few days before. You groaned and Thor laughed, pulling the phone back to him.

“I’m so sorry,” you said. “I promise I’m not some crazy stalker or anything-”

“No, no,” he cut in. “I’m flattered, really. You’re incredibly talented. And I’m not surprised Daisy sent this without you knowing.”

You peeked at him from behind the hand you’d lifted to your brow line. He was still smiling, not at all terrified or even perturbed. “Still, I feel like I have to tell you that I didn’t even know what I was making until she pointed it out.”

He shrugged. “I wanna see it when it’s done. If that’s okay,” he said, bending his neck so that he looked up at you, rather than head on. For the second time since you met him, you fancied yourself able to make him bashful, and it was adorable.

You dropped your hand and felt your smile spread again. “Um, sure. I’ll let you know when I finish.” Your face became so hot then, that you were sure you’d start sweating. You were grateful when the waiter brought the bottle of wine, and after a glass was poured, you took a long sip. When you put it down you asked Thor, “So what is it that you do, exactly?”

He hummed in a funny way, like he had more to say than he should’ve. “A little bit of everything, I suppose.”

“You mean you don’t work for your father’s company?” you asked, meaning well.

His face fell a little bit, but not really enough to worry you. “No, I do,” he said before clearing his throat. “But he was always much better at realty than I am.” He took a sip of wine then, and you almost asked him to expand on that, but you knew better.

You, of all people, knew better than to ask about parents on the first date. So you went back to your original question: “What does ‘a little bit of everything’ entail?”

He put his glass on the table. “Well, I went to school to get a business degree because my father wanted me to,” he started. “And then I went to school to get a law degree, also because he wanted me to. When that bored me out of my mind, I went to a different school for Architecture.”

“You have three degrees?” you asked, wrinkling your forehead in confusion and a little tiny bit of jealousy.

He shook his head. “I have six.”

“Excuse me?” you asked, nearly coughing on another sip of wine.

He let out a breathy laugh and said, “That’s the usual response.” He tipped his glass toward you, and when you didn’t react, he leaned forward and tapped the rim of his glass against yours for himself. Then he took a drink, sat back, and continued with the same little smirk on. “I have three degrees in three separate languages as well. French, Spanish, and Portuguese. So, like I said, I do a little bit of everything.”

You stared at him as the food was delivered to the table. Then you stared more. You couldn’t believe this - you were on a date with a man who was not only six steps out of your league physically, but he was incredibly smart. _Six college degrees_? You didn’t even know how that was possible, let alone practical. What did he do with all six of those degrees?

_A little bit of everything._

You felt pathetic with only one degree in visual art that was doing nothing for you, since you couldn’t get a piece put up in the gallery you worked at for the life of you.

He had _six._

//

He walked you back to your car after dinner, taking slow and small steps as you tried not to wobble in your heels. The wine made it hard, so you were glad you’d parked at the end of the block.

“Thank you for dinner, Thor,” you said, glancing at him quickly before returning your gaze to look ahead of you.

“It was my pleasure,” he said. “I’d, um,” he scratched the back of his neck, “I’d love to take you out again sometime. Maybe somewhere a bit more casual next time?”

You bit your lip because your smile spread so quickly, you were sure it was going to pop off your face and fall on the pavement. You nodded and stepped a little bit closer to him. “That sounds fantastic. And I promise, I’ll be the one to text you this time.”

He chuckled and said, “Good, good. Not that I don’t love giving Daisy exactly the excitement she always seems to be after or anything.”

You laughed at the same time as you neared your car - or rather, Daisy’s blue Bug, and suddenly, you didn’t want to get in it. You regretted driving yourself. You wanted to sit in Thor’s Range Rover again and listen to him talk about himself some more before he bashfully left you at your doorstep. You remembered the way he’d stood over you to kiss your cheek the other night, and you wanted that again.

You stood facing him, your back against the passenger door of Daisy’s car. “Thank you, again.”

“Like I said, my pleasure.” He smiled a dazzling smile and stood dangerously close to you. You didn’t say anything to make him move because you liked him that close. “Don’t forget to send me a picture of that painting when you finish, please.”

You nodded. “I’d say you earned a peek,” you teased, winking at him as discreetly as you could manage.

He was quiet for a beat, but your heart wasn’t. He stared at you, still smiling, while your heartbeat raced so hard and fast you felt like you were vibrating. You felt your mouth open and your breathing deepen before he asked, “Would it be alright if I…kissed you?”

You tried not to nod too enthusiastically. His proximity helped, because once you’d given consent, his hands went to your cheeks and he stepped closer to you - so close that you could feel the heat from his chest through the thin fabric of your dress. The smell of the ocean overwhelmed you, and you closed your eyes as he put his lips against yours lightly. He was so gentle as his mouth closed around yours that you almost didn’t believe this was real.

But it was. You were really kissing Thor Odinson on a dimly lit street. His hands were really on your face, warming your skin and making you want more. But then he pulled back and smiled wider than he had all night. His palms dropped from you and he stepped back.

“I’ll let you get home,” he said softly. “And I truly look forward to the next date.”

You pushed hair away from your eyes and said, “Me too.”


	3. Need A Little Sweetness In My Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for a double date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Playlist can be found [here!](https://open.spotify.com/user/ji31wbf2u1u2uo7ufb05fh5v6/playlist/3LH4wkpZCGGjuXMLmIoozA?)

Between Wednesday and Friday, Daisy suggested a double date. You weren’t so keen on the idea at first, but when you thought about it, you realized a few things.

First, that you just wanted Thor to yourself for a bit, but that maybe you could get that later.

And second, you kind of did want to meet this Grant guy. If Daisy was going on dates with him, that meant he’d be around _and_ she was being serious about him.

So you texted Thor to make sure he was okay with it, and of course, he was. That made you feel a little bit better.

You let him pick you up for the second date, upon Daisy’s request. “Maybe he’ll take you back to his place for after hours fun,” she said as she wiggled her eyebrows at you.

You rolled your eyes at her, but didn’t deny her the fantasy. You didn’t deny it for yourself, either. Even if that was the plan, even if you maybe weren’t ready for that, the idea stuck with you. So you let him pick you up from work on Friday afternoon in his Range Rover.

He asked how your day was, and you shrugged with an indifferent answer. You were much more excited for this date than anything else, and when you told him so, he smiled and gripped your hand. “Me too,” he said.

You bit your lip and glanced at your phone as a notification came in. Daisy was freaking out over Grant’s car, how perfect and shiny it was. She sent a plethora of texts all at once, and you laughed at her enthusiasm, and then again at her very last text that just said: _Get here quicker! I can’t wait!!!_

“You’re quite popular,” Thor teased.

“It’s just Daisy being Daisy,” you told him. “I think she’s more excited for us to meet this guy than we are.” You wouldn’t notice your verbal grouping of you and Thor together until much later, especially since he didn’t say anything about it, either.

“You two are adorable,” Thor said. “I hope it’s not out of place for me to say I’m glad you have one another.”

You couldn’t stop smiling, but you did manage a shrug. “Me too,” you said softly. “She’s a pain in my ass sometimes, but Daisy’s the closest thing I have to a sister.”

He made a sound that came off like a proud little chuckle, and then the radio filled the space around you. He had a CD in, but you didn’t recognize the band or the song. You tapped your foot along to the beat until the song changed, then you looked over at him. “Who is this?” you asked.

He glanced at the radio, then back at the road. “An old Aussie band I used to be _super_ into,” he told you. “They didn’t really make it off the island, though.”

You listened to the music again, bobbing along now. The singer had a nice voice and the music was calming and exciting at once. “I like them,” you said, still making little dance moves in your seat.

“Really?” Thor asked, looking at you as he came to a stop sign. When you nodded, his smile widened. He chuckled again and said, “I’ll have to make you a copy, then.”

You bit your lip and looked out at the road, but all you could think about was Thor. It was still hard to believe you were on a second date with him. You’d barely processed the first date, especially since it had gone so well, and now you were in his car on the way to a much more casual dinner with him. And Grant and Daisy, but for now, it was just you and Thor. You’d changed into a pair of thin jeans (so that your thighs wouldn’t spill out of shorts like they usually did) before you left work, and you paired it with a cute yellow off-the-shoulder top and strappy sandals. It was a completely different look from the last time, but Thor didn’t appear to mind.

He pulled into a parking lot along the beach, then turned the car off. You both got out, then you followed him to the shopping strip you’d been down a million times before. It was a great place to shop and a better place to park to get to the beach. The salty smell of the ocean filled your senses, and for once, it wasn’t just because Thor was really close to you.

But then he reached out and held your hand in his, and for a second, you froze. He pulled gently and almost let you go, but you held onto him and shook your head.

“Sorry,” you said. “I just…wasn’t expecting…”

When you didn’t finish your thought he asked, “Is it okay?”

You nodded. “Better than okay,” you said softly, adjusting the strap of your purse with your other hand. You both smiled wider - you noticed an awful lot of smiling between you - as you continued down the walkway.

He turned into a little cafe that you hadn’t been to before, and you followed him inside. You went to the counter together, still joined at the hands, and ordered food and drinks. Before you’d finished, Daisy found you; she called your name from across the room and waved her hand. You waved back, looking from her to the dark-haired, chiseled face of who you assumed was Grant.

Thor offered to wait for everything you’d ordered, so you went to the booth in the corner where Daisy and Grant were. He stood and smiled at you, holding his hand out as he said, “So nice to meet you, (Y/N). Daisy’s told me a ton about you.”

You shook his hand and returned the sentiment before sliding into the opposite side of the booth. “Hope you haven’t been waiting too long,” you said. “I had a few things to take care of at work before I could leave.” It wasn’t _exactly_ true; you’d mostly been changing and fixing your makeup before you’d gotten into Thor’s Range Rover, but neither Daisy nor Grant needed to know that.

Daisy looked at Grant as he shook his head. “Not at all, actually,” he said softly. “We just finished ordering when you came in.” You heard an order number being called, and suddenly Grant’s attention was pulled from you. “Speaking of,” he said, “excuse me.” He got up, leaving you and Daisy alone.

“He seems nice,” you said with a small smile.

She sat forward with an even bigger smile and gripped your hands in hers. “You really think so?” she asked, enthusiasm lining every one of her words.

“I mean I just met him, but so far, yeah,” you said. “And you’re cute, D.” You’d tell her later that you’d never seen her quite _so_ cute.

She laughed and shook her head, just as Grant and Thor came over with two trays each. They both put the trays down on the table, sliding one each over to you and Daisy, then shook hands before sitting.

You’d started eating when Thor asked, “So is it terribly cliche to have come to a cafe for a date?” He looked at you for an answer.

You giggled, then gave him an unsure glance and a shrug. “Maybe a little,” you said. “But I don’t mind.”

“It’s cute,” Daisy said, looking around the room.

A short silence fell over the group while everyone ate. But a few minutes later, Grant finished a gulp of his drink and cleared his throat.

“So, (Y/N),” he started, “Daisy told me you work in an art gallery.”

You took a sip of your drink as well before elaborating: “Yeah, uh. I do mostly social media work and a bit of graphic design, but I also end up doing a lot of office work. Paperwork and stuff.” You tried to smile through it, but you weren’t always great at keeping your true feelings from showing.

“I take it that’s not what you want?” he asked before biting into his sandwich.

You shrugged. “Does anyone want to be doing social media marketing for the rest of their lives?”

“People with marketing degrees, sure,” Thor said, half-smiling.

You paused, then sighed as you conceded. “Right.” You pursed your lips and tilted your head toward the window. “But yeah, no. It’s not what I want forever.”

“She wants to be a painter. Like, professionally,” Daisy said, a certain level of pride on each word. “I keep telling her to take a break from ‘real’ work so she can get some art done, but she won’t listen.”

“Yeah, well,” you said as you turned back to your cousin. “I have loans to pay and stuff.” And that was it. You shoved more of your food into your mouth, hoping someone might focus on something else to talk about for a bit.

“But you still get practice, right?” Grant asked, crushing your hopes. Still, he at least appeared to be asking out of polite interest. It’d be rude of you to ignore him.

You nodded. “I take commissions.”

“She has a _huge_ following online,” Daisy said. “But I don’t think she charges enough for each piece. Like, some artists make their livings off the internet, you know?”

“But I’d like for my clients to be able to afford what I do,” you defended, putting your food down. “Sometimes I get kids that want paintings of their favorite characters, and unless they get their parents to commission, they can’t really afford it.”

Before you could stop him, Thor pulled his phone out. You didn’t know what he was doing at first, but then he found something in his picture folder and turned it toward Grant. “ _This_ is something she’s working on at the moment.”

Your eyes widened and you shook your head. Grant did _not_ need to see that painting - you had plenty on twitter and instagram to show him. The last thing you needed to be included in his first impression of you was the canvas of Thor’s lightning eyes.

You winced and made to try to grab Thor’s phone, but Grant took it to examine the painting instead.

“Okay, so, like, I was in a mood the other day and-”

“Wow,” he whispered, his chews coming slower as he studied the picture. “(Y/N), this is… _so good_.”

You groaned, a short, nervous sound before Daisy kicked you under the table. You glared at her, and she glared back, then nodded (not very subtly) at Grant.

“Uh,” you tried. “Thank you. It’s not done, though. And that picture was taken from a weird angle, _without my consent_.” You kicked Daisy back, and the grunt she let out brought Grant’s eyes from the phone up to the table.

He looked at Daisy and asked, “You okay?” She smiled and nodded, but said nothing in return. When Grant brought his attention back to you, he handed Thor his phone back and said, “Really, (Y/N), something like that deserves to be put on display.”

You took a second to process his compliment. You’d heard Uncle Phil, Aunt Melinda, and Daisy all say stuff like that before. They were all supportive of your art, even when they couldn’t understand it. Even when, sometimes, you couldn’t understand it, especially if it was a commission. But an outsider had never, before Thor and Grant, said anything quite like that before.

You snapped out of your thoughts when Daisy’s toes graced your shin a little too harshly. You sucked in a breath and mumbled a, “Thank you,” before you distracted yourself with your food again.

Thor turned to you and said, “I don’t know how you managed to get the color so perfect after a few dances and a car ride, but you did.” When you glanced at him from the corner of your vision, you saw that he was smiling softly, those gorgeous eyes focused on you. You knew, if you’d been looking at him head on, that you’d be trapped in their storms.

“Wait,” Grant muttered, “those are _your_ eyes?” He waited until Thor looked at him, then he squinted, studying the man in front of him. It took a second, but then he nodded. “Of course they are!” he said, sitting a little straighter. “Wow - you’re right, dude.” That last word sounded so wrong on his voice, but he didn’t give you time to say anything about it. “That portrait is _spot on_.”

You refused to focus on one of them, so you looked at one, then the other. “My favorite artist did a masterclass a few years ago,” you told him as you stirred your drink absently. “I didn’t get to go, but I got to watch it on YouTube after. He talked all about mixing color and trusting instinct. He does more landscapes and comic panels, but I’ve had his lessons in my head since.”

“Ah,” Thor said, not even hesitating to engage you in more conversation. “May I ask who this artist is?”

You shrugged and finally managed to look up, though not directly at him yet. “Steve Rogers? He’s…almost local, I think? I know he’s had a few shows in neighboring areas.”

“Have you ever gotten to see his work up close?” Thor asked.

You shook your head. “I’ve tried to get Daisy into Mr. Rogers’ art so I wouldn’t have to go alone, but she’s never gotten into it.”

You heard Daisy scoff, and you knew she was about to defend herself, but Thor chuckled first. You finally met his gaze again, as both Daisy and Grant settled back into silence.

“Mr. Rogers,” he mumbled, taking a sip from his cup.

“Is that…not his name?” you asked, feeling your face fall as if you’d done something wrong. Your eyes flitted to Daisy, then back to Thor. It didn’t even occur to you that he was being smug, but then he shrugged and lowered his drink.

“I guess,” he said, “but as long as I’ve known him, he’s just gone by Steve. Always says ‘Mr. Rogers’ was his neighbor. I think it’s supposed to be a reference to some American television program.”

Your mouth dropped open as you processed what he’d said. Thor kept laughing, not loudly or anything, but still enough to everyone else around him quiet.

Since no one else seemed to be stepping back into the conversation, you did. “You…you know Steve Rogers?” you asked him, eyes widening when he nodded. You shook your head and sat back against your seat, and your face crumpled in frustration. “God, I can’t date you.”

His laughter died immediately, and his face fell, too. “Why?” he asked at the exact same time as Daisy. You’d almost forgotten she was right there with you.

They thought you were serious, and for some reason, that made you giddy. Maybe you really did make him nervous - maybe that wasn’t just you building yourself up to believe you were worthy of being near him. You let yourself give one single chuckle before you said, “Because you have the ability to give me everything I want.”

You could hardly believe you’d said it, especially in front of Daisy and her date, but you couldn’t take it back. You could imagine her screaming at you later, saying that you’d said too much too fast, but you didn’t really care. You turned remaining liquid in your cup around and around again, unable to stop yourself from smiling despite the odd air that had settled over the table.

Thor’s smile returned, as did his chuckling. He rose one eyebrow at you and reached for your hand on the seat between you. You let him take it, but didn’t look away from the eyes you were painting, their bright electric blue outshining any ocean you’d ever seen. “Would that be so bad?” he asked.

//

 _Would that be so bad?_ he’d asked.

The question confused you. It made you wonder what Thor was looking for in a relationship. If he liked you for you, that was one thing, but if he liked you because you were Daisy’s poor cousin who worked a full-time job and couldn’t get a piece of art on display, that was another. You didn’t want to be in a relationship with someone who just wanted to be with you because they pitied you.

But you told yourself that Thor didn’t have to pity you to want to care for you. He didn’t have to pity you to like you or take you on dates.

God, you hoped he didn’t pity you. So many people did just because you were bigger than Daisy. People looked at you and thought _This girl just needs to work out and she’d be so pretty! or Why doesn’t she just eat right? She could be so much hotter!_ They pitied you because of your weight and none of them even knew you.

But Thor… He hadn’t made you feel that way. He didn’t make you feel that way even after he asked his question, even after you stammered an unsure answer. He just waited until you were alone to ask if you wanted to maybe see his place, and you could do nothing but nod. He held your hand as you left the cafe, as you went back to his car, and then again after he started the car and pulled out of the lot. He only let go of you to get out of the car, but once you followed him to his door, he had your hand in his again.

You weren’t going to forget that feeling anytime soon.

You realized, as entered his large, square, modern and modest (on the inside) home, that he always smelled like the ocean because he practically lived on the beach. You could see from his open foyer through his back windows; he had a small yard where a few palm trees stood, but then the land dipped off to the sand and surf. His view was breathtaking with the sun setting, but you could only focus on it for a second.

You heard barking from the back corner of the house. Thor pulled you along toward the windows you’d been looking out as he called out, “Fenny, calm down!”

“You have a dog?” you asked, your eyes widening because you hadn’t been expecting it. You followed him through what you assumed was his living room - a couch and low coffee table set in front of a huge flat screen television and fireplace with a stacked DVD holder to one side - and past the kitchen - an open, bright space with a huge, square island in the middle; all surfaces looked to be marble, of course. In the back corner of the space was an office lined with more windows on the back of the house, a long desk with at least three computers that you could count, and what looked like a bedroom along one wall. Well, there was an air mattress that had been deflated, a few blankets, and a small chest of drawers. You almost asked Thor about all that, but then [a large black and white wolf-like dog](https://qph.fs.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-b1cfd63077be4897c278801b016cab4a) was barking in your face.

“Fenrir!” Thor called. “She’s a guest. Be nice!”

The dog - Fenrir, apparently - obeyed. He yipped, but otherwise sat back on his haunches and wagged his fluffy tail.

“Is he nice?” you asked, standing slightly behind Thor, just in case.

“When he’s behaving,” Thor said, reaching his hand over the baby gate you’d hadn’t noticed until then. You realized it was the only thing keeping Fenrir in the office, and that Thor had no problem leaning right over it to pet Fenrir between his perked ears. The dog’s eyes shut and his tongue hung out of his mouth. “He’s actually my brother’s dog, but he lives with me.” Thor kept petting him, but he looked back at you. “Would you like to meet him?”

You bit your lip and nodded. Then you approached the gate and watched as Fenrir opened one eye and gazed at you. He wasn’t barking anymore, which was a good sign, so you slowly reached your hand out and let him sniff you. Within seconds, he was licking the back of your hand and you were giggling. “He’s cute,” you said, putting your fingers out to scratch Fenrir’s chin. “What kind of dog is he?”

“Loki - my brother - wanted a Norwegian Elkhoud, but turns out Swedish Elkhounds have thinner coats. Much easier on their bodies in California heat,” he said. “Fenny’s a brat, but I love him.”

You looked at Fenrir, then at Thor. While still scratching the dog into quiet bliss, you asked him, “So if your brother’s dog lives with you, where’s your brother?”

In an instant, he gave one of those sarcastic smiles - over exaggerated lines, turned in lips, crinkled eyes. It wasn’t nice, but you figured that’s how he felt about his brother. “Getting into trouble somewhere, I’m sure. I haven’t seen him in a bit.”

You pulled your hand from Fenrir, who whined for your attention again, but you ignored him. You turned fully to Thor and put that hand on his opposite arm, since you were still linked by the hands between you. “I’m sorry,” you said quietly, feeling a creeping sense of pity that had an ironic flare to it.

Thor shrugged. “I’m surprised you haven’t heard of him, honestly,” he said. “Tabloids _love_ his dramatic flair and penchant for illegal activities.” He rolled his eyes as Fenrir yipped again, putting his muzzle against the baby gate so his nose poked your arm.

“I don’t pay attention to tabloids,” you told him truthfully, still ignoring the dog. You kept your eyes on Thor - you weren’t keeping track of time anymore - but eventually, he sighed and gave you a smaller smile. A more genuine one. So you took it. Then he bent and unlocked the baby gate, and Fenrir came barging out between you, sprinting into the living room.

“I’m gonna take him on a walk real quick. Make yourself at home,” he told you. Then he leant down and kissed your cheek before finally letting go of your hand. He and Fenrir went to the front door, where Thor took a lead off a hook along the wall and clipped it to Fenrir’s collar.

You stood in the doorway to the office with a hand pressed to the cheek he’d kissed. Your heart was still beating a million miles a minute after he shut the door; you could feel your pulse in your fingertips and all along your cheek. You felt like you were on a magical little cloud, even more so as you looked around the open living room and kitchen. His space was clean and understated, with few adornments other than a handful of pictures in frames along the walls of the kitchen.

You went back through the living room and placed your shoes next to a row of miscellaneous sneakers and sandals by the door. To your right was a dark staircase. Thor _had_ told you to make yourself at home. You figured he would’ve told you not to go somewhere if he wasn’t alright with it. And you were nosy; you wanted to see the rest of the house and maybe suss out this whole situation with his brother, if you could.

So you went upstairs. He had a few more picture frames hanging along the walls in the staircase, but they only displayed his diplomas. You rolled your eyes, still unable to believe that he had _six_ degrees all under his belt, and continued up.

The second floor started as an open space with three walled rooms off the center hub. Thor didn’t have much in the hub except a few small chairs, but they seemed to be more for decoration than use. To your left were two of the three walled rooms; one looked like it might be a bathroom and the other might be a guest room, so you tried them both. You were right about the first; the guest bath had a full tub and shower, as well as a vanity that spanned the length of the room. But the room next to that, which otherwise might have been a guest room - or even a room for Thor’s brother, you thought - was full of exercise equipment. That made sense, given his physique, you thought. But it made the deflated air mattress in the office downstairs even more peculiar.

You went across the open space to the third room, which you knew had to be the master bedroom. It was large, with huge windows and a visible balcony that looked out over the ocean. The master bath was across the room, and since you didn’t go too far in, you didn’t get a peek at it. You did examine the bed, though; it had to be at least a Queen, maybe even a California King. It was huge. His duvet was blue, his pillows a dark red that somehow seemed to work without seeming too childish. You liked it. A lot.

Then you heard the front door open. Fenrir barked, Thor cooed at him, and you shut the bedroom door as you headed back through the hub. You went back downstairs when you heard Thor ask Fenrir, “Where’d (Y/N) go? Huh? Any ideas?”

“Just looking at everything,” you said softly as you stepped off the last step. Fenrir turned in a circle, then came at you with his tongue out. You bent down and rubbed his face, laughing at how dopey he looked when he smiled.

“Find anything interesting?” Thor asked, hanging the lead back on the hook.

You smirked at him as you stood again and said, “Other than your dumbbells, not much.” You thought about asking him what he was doing with the deflated air mattress when there was clearly another bedroom at his disposal. But then you thought of how weird it must be to leave a woman you hardly knew in your house, alone, only to find she’s checked everything out for herself. You passed on delving too far too fast. “I like the layout you’ve got going,” you said.

Thor smiled, then turned and went to the kitchen, calling for Fenrir as he went. The dog followed him, and then you did, but you stopped at the couch and sat so you faced the kitchen.

“I designed this house,” he said. He picked a silver bowl up off the floor, then pulled a huge bag of dog food out of one of the cabinets by the stove. He filled the bowl, placed it back on the floor, and left Fenrir to eat his dinner before he came over to you. You turned around as he sat next to you. “It was my first solo project after I earned my Architecture degree.”

“Right,” you said as you nodded. “One of six.”

“ _Oui._ ” He wiggled his eyebrows, and you laughed with him. When you got quiet, he bit his lip and all you wanted was for him to kiss you. It was amazing how comfortable you were on his couch, in his house, with his gorgeous lightning eyes on you. If Thor were anything other than absolutely wonderful, you’d be shying away. You’d probably be at home, or at least asking to go home. But you weren’t. You didn’t want to leave until he kissed you, and maybe even not after that.

He cut through your thoughts with, “You really like the place?” He put his elbow on the back of the couch, then rested his temple against his fist.

You nodded. “It’s comfy. Maybe a little bare, but I might have a few ideas for that.” You smirked at him and thought of the portrait you were working on.

He hummed a little happy sound, and that warm feeling creeped into your face and chest. You were glad you were inside with just Thor (and Fenrir), because even if your skin heated up, you probably wouldn’t sweat. You wouldn’t have to have _that_ conversation yet, thankfully.

“I’m glad,” he said in a low voice. “And if you don’t have space for that portrait you’re painting…”

You went to roll your eyes at him for teasing, but he pressed forward and caught your lips in his before you could. _Finally_ you thought. You breathed against him, taking in the smell of ocean. You could get used to this. What you couldn’t do was stop yourself from smiling, even as his tongue reached out for your lips. You opened your mouth and allowed him access, tilting your head to deepen the kiss. One of his hands reached out and fell against your side, and you froze on impact.

Thor had taken you by surprise, and he’d noticed. He pulled away, but didn’t remove himself entirely. You were acutely aware of his hand on your waist, of the way your skin rolled over itself a little there, as he asked, “What’s wrong?” He was trained on you, even as Fenrir came over and yipped at your feet.

You shook your head. “Nothing,” you told him. And then, “Really,” when he lowered his head to emphasize his concern.

“It’s okay if you’re tired or something,” he said in that low voice.

“No, no,” you responded, smiling without even having to force it. “I’m good.”

He continued looking at you like you might change your mind at any second, and you kept waiting for him to accept your answer and go back to making out. It was what you wanted - couldn’t he tell? Apparently not, evidenced by his continual hesitance.

You cupped his face - his gorgeous, welcoming face - in your hands and smirked, pulling him back to you. “I told you I’m good,” you said before planting your lips on his once more.

Thor chuckled into the kiss, and as you continued to pull on him, he pushed against you. You followed his lead and fell back onto the couch, laying with Thor over you. Both of his hands went to your sides then, and you didn’t freeze. Not even as his hands moved to explore your torso. Not even when he squeezed one of your breasts in a large, warm palm. You actually laughed when his other hand slid under your shirt and tickled your side. But he didn’t push you further than that, and you were grateful for that. This kiss was just for fun, to test each other for compatibility more than anything else.

And although you never gave him an official grade, you went home that night knowing he’d passed with flying colors.


	4. Just Wanna Be There Where You Are

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thor might be good at a lot of things, but there's just _one_ that he's not the best at. And while that's almost endearing, it doesn't entirely distract from his huge question.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Playlist can be found [here!](https://open.spotify.com/user/ji31wbf2u1u2uo7ufb05fh5v6/playlist/3LH4wkpZCGGjuXMLmIoozA?)

Thor wanted to cook for you on date three. He said it would be romantic, and Daisy heartily agreed, especially after you recounted your self-guided tour and the follow up makeout session to her.

“I swear to God, I will kill you if you don’t marry him,” she told you as you added detail to the portrait of Thor’s eyes. You were still working at it, still mesmerized by the electric pull of the stare. Daisy had made it her business to sit with you while you painted over the last couple of days, and instead of fighting her for peace and quiet, you decided to enjoy her company.

When you could, that was. Because sometimes she was complacent and busied herself with her own work, but sometimes she just wanted to talk.

“What if he doesn’t want to get married?” you asked, not a hint of worry in your tone. Because you weren’t worried about that - you were just posing a hypothetical question. “Also, we’ve been on two dates. Marriage isn’t even in the cards yet.”

“Oh, please,” she said, rolling her eyes. “You two were practically dry humping each other in that cafe.”

“Ew,” you said, flicking your wrist to add the smallest amount of pressure to your brush. A thin, almost missable dash of dark blue gave you satisfaction as it blended with the lighter blues around it. “We definitely were not.”

“And when he mentioned Steve?” she asked, sitting forward in the desk chair. “Holy shit, babe, I thought you were gonna maul him with your mouth. I thought for sure I was gonna have to push Grant out of the booth before anything got too weird.”

“Nothing was weird,” you mumbled, momentarily losing your train of thought as you sat back to study the colors before you. “I just can’t believe he knows Steve Rogers!”

“Yes, the whole world heard your surprise,” she said. “But that’s why I’ll kill you if you don’t commit to him. You guys are sickeningly sweet together. Grant thinks so, too.”

You dropped your arms to your lap and looked over at Daisy. “He does?” you asked, raising one eyebrow.

She nodded. “He really liked you both. I’m kinda jealous, to be honest, because you and Thor were all over each other and I feel like Grant and I were kinda distant…”

“No,” you said, shaking your head, “he was really nice! Most of your boyfriends don’t get my art, but he liked what he saw, right?”

She shrugged. “Yeah, I guess. But I don’t know what that has to do with how little he touched me through the whole meal.” Daisy shrugged, dropping her eyes to the floor. “Meanwhile, you and Thor were so fucking _touch-y_.”

“We were?” you asked, but then you replaced the whole conversation in your head again.

“Duh,” she said. “He’s totally into you. I can tell.” Her somber expression slowly turned up, and she smirked in that way that made your skin tingle as it brought back memories of getting into way too much trouble as kids. “By the way, if you need any condoms, I’ve got some under the sink in my bathroom.”

Your brow rose. “Why would I need condoms? I barely know him.” Didn’t feel that way, but you weren’t about to admit that.

“Please,” she said, her smirk still in full force. “You practically eye-fucked him every single time you looked at him. You’re painting his eyes. You’ve already been to his place, and now he wants to cook for you?” She crossed her arms and sat back. “If you don’t get laid tonight, hell will freeze over.”

You put on an indignant glare and asked, “What if I don’t want to?” Then, almost immediately, your face fell as you felt panic set in. “Oh my god Daisy, what if he expects it? Like what if we get there and I’m not ready and shit gets weird and awkward?”

Daisy sat up in her seat and held her hands out. “I’m sorry I said anything,” she muttered. “I just meant that there’s a good possibility that things might go well enough to lead to that point, (Y/N). Obviously if you don’t want to have sex, you shouldn’t. And if he even for a second makes you uncomfortable about it, kick him in the nads and call me. Immediately.”

“What if I do want it?” you asked, not really expecting Daisy to answer. Your mind kept moving, even after her clarification. “How do I tell him without making _that_ weird? How do I look at his probably perfectly sculpted body and expect him to look at mine? What the absolute fuck am I thinking?” You stood from your stool and paced, tugging at your hair, not hard enough to pull anything out, but enough to release some of your nervous energy. “Oh my god Daisy he’s so far out of my league. He’s got six motherfucking college degrees. How do I compete with that?”

Daisy stood and stepped in your path. You had no choice but to look at her, or else collide. “First of all, leagues are completely made up to make women feel like we have to rack up points and compete against one another for the attention of men,” she said, putting a hand on your shoulder. “Second, so what? Thor’s smart. You’re smart, too. And so hardworking. And kind and caring. You deserve a guy that makes you feel those things, too.”

“But if he sees me naked-”

“Then he probably wants to,” she said. “(Y/N), I know Thor well enough to confidently tell you that you don’t have to worry. I told you before, he doesn’t play games with people.”

You didn’t know what to say. You might always be worried about what people thought of your body - not people you didn’t know, but the people you did. There were things you liked about it and things you didn’t. Things touched that didn’t on other people. And showing someone completely new every inch of that? Showing Thor all of that? It scared the living crap out of you.

But you also knew Daisy was right; he’d been nothing if not honest and affectionate since you danced with him that first night. He had to know what people around you might say about the two of you together, but he didn’t seem to care.

“It’s only our third date,” you said. “It’s so soon.”

“Yeah, it is. But you’re an adult, (Y/N). You can decide whether or not you’re ready, and Thor either accepts it or he doesn’t. Just…be safe, and call me if you need anything,” Daisy said. She waited until you dropped your shoulders and nodded, then she gestured to the door. “I’m serious about the condoms. I have plenty.”

You let her offer settle in before leaning in for a hug. You were really glad you had Daisy, even if she could sometimes be too excitable. She really was the closest thing you had to a sister; she was your biggest supporter, your peppiest cheerleader. So you squeezed her tight to you and whispered, “Thanks, D. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

She laughed and said, “You’d be sitting at home watching Netflix by yourself without me, but instead, you’ve got a hot date.”

You nodded. She was right, like she usually was.

//

You still weren’t sure where you were at on the sex thing, but after your talk with Daisy, you did feel a little bit better. You reassured yourself, remembering that it was okay to be unsure, as you rang his doorbell. Fenrir barked at the noise, and you smiled. The barking got louder, and then the door opened toward you and Fenrir stepped out around Thor to sniff and greet you.

“Hey there,” you said, bending down to pet the dog. He panted and licked your hands as you scratched between his ears, and continued even when you stood and looked up at Thor.

“Hey,” he said softly, leaning forward to kiss your cheek. “I just got started on dinner. Come in, make yourself at home.”

You followed his lead, pushing Fenrir back into the house as you teased, “You gonna tell me to do that everytime I come over?”

Thor shut the door behind you. “Just until Fenrir doesn’t nearly give me a heart attack when your car pulls up,” he said. He let you take your shoes off - which you did when you saw he wasn’t wearing shoes, either - and put your purse down before leaning down to give a real kiss. This one was just as quick, but the length didn’t matter. It still made you warm and giddy all at once.

“Seriously though,” he said, “find something on Netflix and get comfy.”

He went into the kitchen, which left you with Fenrir at your knees. You smiled down at him and went to the couch, doing as Thor said. Fenrir jumped up next to you on the couch and put his furry head in your lap as you picked up the remote from the coffee table. You figured out how to get to Netflix quite easily, and then you scrolled through Thor’s queue as if it might tell you anything else about him that you wanted to know.

“You watch an awful lot of docu-dramas,” you called, hoping he’d hear over the din of whatever it was he was cooking. Fenrir adjusted his head on your lap, and when you chose a show, you put the remote down and continued to pet him.

“I like the reenactments!” Thor called back.

You smiled because his answer was silly, and you and Fenrir watched the show quietly while Thor cooked behind you. You’d just gotten sucked into the heat of the plot when something crashed, Fenrir raised his head, and Thor cursed almost all at once.

You paused the show and turned to see Thor rush to turn the stove off. “You okay in there?” you asked.

He sighed and his shoulders dropped. “Yeah,” he returned. “I just fucked everything up, but I’m okay.” He sounded frustrated, and your smile dropped. Before he could say anything else, you got off the couch and went around the space to the kitchen, stopping at the island just in case.

“Can I help with anything?” you asked.

He hadn’t turned around, but he did glance quickly at you over his shoulder, then again when he realized you’d come over from the living room. Thor shook his head and looked defeated. “I don’t think so,” he said. He pursed his lips and looked back at the food again. “I burned the main course, and I didn’t think I was gonna need a backup.”

You couldn’t help but smile again. He rubbed his chin before you giggled, grabbing his attention as you leaned over the counter of the island.

“What’s so funny?” he asked, a smile slowly spreading across his face as well.

You shrugged. “Thor, earner of six whole Bachelors degrees, doer of no wrong ever, can’t do something,” you teased, smirking now.

He rose his brows and made a fake-offended scoffing sound, then came over to you. “I’ll have you know I do things wrong all the time,” he said, leaning his elbows on the island to be more level with you. “And I guess I failed to mention that I actually dropped out of culinary school.”

You fake-scoffed this time, almost mocking his sound, and rolled your eyes. “Of course you did.” You looked over at the food on the stove as he laughed and realized he was right. Everything was singed. You couldn’t even try to salvage any of it, which somehow ended up being funny. You laughed with him, shaking your head before looking at him again. “So what’s the plan, then?” you asked.

Fenrir padded into the room then, sitting on his hind legs between you. Thor gave him a little shove, as if to tell the dog to leave, but he didn’t go anywhere. “Well, I guess going out would defeat the purpose of having you come here,” he said. “And I don’t think Fenny would be happy with me if I took you away from him.”

You looked down at the dog and petted him between his ears again, just like he liked. He pushed his head into your palm as you said, “I don’t think I’d be too happy with you, either,” to Thor. “Fenny’s my new best friend, aren’t you baby?” you asked in a baby-ish tone.

Fenrir barked, and you laughed in response.

“I think he likes you more than he likes my brother,” Thor said. He turned to the stove and made to clean up his mess, looking back at you every couple of minutes while he threw out the burned food and cleaned the pan. You paid attention to Fenrir, who licked your fingers and face and turned in circles to get you to scratch him all over.

“He’s a good dog,” you said. You pulled his head to you and kissed his fur, and when he squirmed in your grasp, you giggled and went back to petting him. “Aren’t you a good boy, Fenny? A good, adorable, fluffy boy?” He barked in response, then turned in another circle.

“Isn’t there a saying about trusting people your dog trusts?” Thor asked, looking over his shoulder at you.

You shrugged, but still managed to smirk at Thor. “If that’s a thing, I’m doubly glad he likes me.” You put your face in front of Fenrir’s, and he continued to lick your cheeks and nose.

Thor finished cleaning his dishes, then came over to the island, crossing his arms as he watched the exchange between you and Fenrir. “Should I be jealous?” he asked, cocking an eyebrow.

You turned your face as much as you could and looked up at him with one eye. “Maybe? You should have a talk with Fenny about boundaries,” you teased.

He raised both brows then and bit his lip - which was super sexy, but you kept that to yourself. You watched as he pursed his lips and made noises to get Fenrir’s attention. When the dog’s tongue had dislodged from your face, Thor told him, “Get lost, would ya?” Then he leaned forward and took your hands in his, pulling gently until you stood in front of him instead of Fenrir. The dog whined, but you both ignored him. “I’m pretty sure I’m gonna be better at pleasing you than my dog will,” he whispered to you, pulling you close so that your bodies were right up against one another.

The only time you’d been quite so close was in the club, and by now you could barely remember what it felt like to have his body against yours, his hands all over your midsection while he blatantly disregarded any flaws he found there. Just as you expected, you smelled the ocean like you were standing in it. His arms were huge and taut and wrapped around you with ease. His hands went to your butt, and for just a second, you wondered what he was doing and whether or not you liked it. But then all he did was kiss you, a more fervent kiss than he’d given before. You put your arms around his shoulders and smiled.

Then Fenrir barked and turned in a circle again. You whined when Thor pulled away, but he didn’t go far. He left his forehead against yours, though he did turn his head to look at Fenrir.

“You’re such a buzzkill,” he said, a fake glare taking over his features.

“No!” you responded, patting his arm swiftly. “Fenny’s a good boy. He just doesn’t want to be left out!”

Thor rolled his eyes as he brought them back to you. “He’s gonna have to learn that sometimes he can’t be included, isn’t he?” After you shrugged, Thor laughed. Then he kissed your forehead and pulled back further to ask another question: “Chinese takeout alright?”

//

He ordered dinner, then took Fenrir for a walk. You thought about going with them, but decided that staying in was probably best. Someone needed to be around when the food was delivered, so you resumed the show you’d started earlier and waited patiently.

You’d just finished the episode when the food came, and a few minutes later, Thor and Fenrir returned. You smiled and gestured to the huge brown paper bag on the coffee table.

“So, I had an idea,” he said, moving right across the room. “Just tell me if you’re comfortable with it, but what if we had dinner in my room upstairs?”

It was an…odd request, you thought. But you’d seen his room, or at least part of it. His bed was huge. He had a TV on the wall across from it, and it might be comfier than eating on the couch in front of the coffee table.

But your conversation with Daisy popped into your head. What if this was his way of getting you _into bed_? Then again, _so what_ if it was? He wanted to know if you were comfortable with his idea - and his idea was specifically about eating dinner, not getting naked.

In the midst of your thoughts, your face fell. You didn’t realize it until Thor’s did, too, but then you felt how relaxed your cheeks were and you knew it was because you were staring blankly at him.

“Should I take that as a no?” he asked. He and Fenrir were standing in the doorway to the office. Fenrir was pacing back and forth, waiting for something to happen.

You focused on Thor, though. “No, no,” you said. “I don’t mind the idea, but won’t the bed get dirty?” you asked.

He shrugged. “The awesome thing about living alone is that I make my own rules,” he said with a wink.

You bit your lip, then stood from the couch and brought the paper bag with you. Thor’s smile returned. He ushered Fenrir into the office, then closed the baby gate in front of the door. He went to the kitchen, grabbed drinks from the fridge and utensils from the drawer by the sink, then went upstairs. You followed him into his bedroom with a new nervous, excited energy running through you.

So what if he wanted to have sex later? Now that you were there, with him, the idea wasn’t so crazy. It wasn’t nerve-wracking. You focused on setting out the food and trying not to get too much of it on his duvet while he found something to watch on TV. He laid out bent at the waist, resting on one elbow by his pillows. You sat cross-legged on the other side of the food, eating in silence as you focused on the show.

But you found it hard to concentrate. Not because you were nervous or anything, but you had things running through your head. You were on a third date with an insanely hot guy - a guy who was kind and funny, who made you feel pretty and adored. A guy who was confident enough in his attraction to you that he could joke about his dog taking your attention, and then proceed to joke about needing to step up his game. A guy who was comfortable allowing you into his home on the second date, who wasn’t afraid to hold your hand in public or kiss you on his couch. A guy who’d eat with you in bed and watch Netflix and maybe not need much else yet.

Maybe you wanted to have sex with him, you considered. Maybe you wanted it tonight. You told yourself not to be disappointed if it didn’t happen, but if it did, at least you’d be comfortable. Mostly. You’d be open to the idea.

When the show ended, you were full. Thor finished soon after - you noticed that he ate a little bit more than you did, but he never commented on how much you had. You both cleaned up, then took the leftovers downstairs. On your way back up you asked Thor, “Was this just all a convoluted ploy to get me back over soon so I can eat my leftovers?”

“You got me,” he said over his shoulder as he stepped into the bedroom. For the millionth time, you both laughed.

You got back in bed, this time both of you laying much closer to one another, now that there was no food to focus on. Thor scrolled through Netflix again, but then you turned over and looked at him.

You were so comfortable around him. It was strange because you were used to needing time. You were used to people seeing you only on the surface, seeing your body and making judgments that you had to put effort into breaking down. But Thor had never made you feel that way; he’d looked at you and immediately wanted to dance, wanted to take you home in his Range Rover, and wanted to ask you out. He wanted you in his life. You wanted him in yours, you realized.

You loved that feeling, but something still nagged at the back of your head. It wasn’t the preconceptions he seemed to miss. It wasn’t even about you. You thought about the room across the hall - the room that was clearly supposed to be a guest room but had been turned into a gym like a baby boomer with a college graduate. You thought about the deflated air mattress in the office with Fenrir. You even thought about Fenrir himself.

Then you quietly asked, “Hey Thor, could I ask something that might be a little personal?”

He stopped scrolling and slowly turned to look at you. His face was blank, which wasn’t like him. He bent an arm and put his palm against the back of his neck. “Depends,” he said.

“You can tell me I’m being too nosy or you don’t wanna answer. I’m just…curious, I guess.”

He nodded, and shortly after he added, “Okay.”

“What’s the deal with your brother?” you asked. You watched him bite his lip, but he didn’t say anything at first. “I mean, you have that room across the hall, but then there’s a bed in the office downstairs. And you have his dog. It’s just…a little weird, don’t you think?” You hoped you didn’t sound too judgmental. You just wanted answers.

He stared at you, his blue eyes darkening just enough for you to notice. He didn’t answer for a while. Silent moments passed, and after a bit, you just hoped you hadn’t crossed a line you couldn’t go back and uncross.

But finally he said, “Loki… He’s always been the troublemaker. It’s the mark of the youngest sibling, I suppose.” He sighed and turned on his side to face you, like you had before. “Neither of us speak to our sister, so I’m all Loki really has. But I barely see him. He lives an…adventurous life, I’ll say.”

That cleared almost nothing up, but it was apparently all he wanted to say. You didn’t want to push him. Not yet. If things continued to go this well, you’d get the full story. You just had to remind yourself to be patient, that he was allowed to have things he kept to himself. Thor was allowed to have flaws, even if he so effortlessly seemed like he didn’t.

“So when you do see him,” you found yourself saying, so that you didn’t pry too much, “he stays in the office?”

Thor shrugged. “We don’t always get on well, so it’s better if we’re on different floors. Since he’s hardly ever around, I just did what he said he wanted: something simple and temporary.”

There was something sad in his voice, like for a second, he missed his brother. But he didn’t say so. Maybe he didn’t have to, you thought. Maybe it was clear in his action.

That was a good sign.

You bit your lip because you wanted to ask him when the last time he saw his brother was. You wanted to know more, to see inside Thor’s head and heart a little more. But you also didn’t want to make him uncomfortable. All he’d done since you’d met him was make you feel at ease, so you had to do the same for him.

You placed a hand on his cheek and moved your thumb back and forth over his beard. And you said, “Only someone really special would do all of that for a brother they hardly see.”

He gave you a small smile, then put his hands on your hips and pulled you closer to him. Your heart sped up with thoughts of where this might go, but all he did was kiss your nose and hold you. “I have…kind of an odd request to make,” he whispered. “You don’t have to accept, but I’d be really happy if you did.”

You waited and nodded. He searched your eyes for something, and when he found it, he sighed.

“How would you feel about going to Sweden with me?”

You squinted in confusion. “Sweden?”

He nodded slowly. “So, maybe this is weird, but my ex is getting married and I’ve already RSVP’d with a plus one. I thought I’d be going with Loki, but I haven’t heard from him in a while.”

“But…Sweden?” you asked.

He chuckled softly and nodded again. “That’s where my friends live, yes. My ex is actually Norwegian, but they’re going to live in Sweden after the wedding.”

“Wait- I’m confused. Why are you going to your ex’s wedding?” you asked, scrunching your whole face in confusion now.

“Right,” he muttered. “Okay, so my ex is actually a part of this little group of friends I’ve had most of my life. We didn’t even really date for long - we’re much better friends, honestly. She’s marrying one of our other friends and I’m in the bridal party, so I have to go.” He shrugged and rubbed your side with one of his large hands.

“It won’t be…weird…bringing a girl you just started seeing to your ex’s wedding?” you asked slowly, careful not to use words like _dating_. And then you remembered that this wedding was taking place in Sweden, and you felt a nervous energy take over you again. “And how am I supposed to get to Sweden? I don’t have that kind of money,” you said, looking away from him. You actually sat up, forcing his hand to your thigh, but you hardly noticed. “I have nothing to wear - I can’t go to a fancy wedding in Europe.”

This was no longer about going with Thor or even going to his ex’s wedding. It was all about money, just like it had been with Jemma and Leo’s wedding - who, since you’d heard last, had decided to just elope in Romania because why the hell not? Daisy was furious, but you were relieved because you didn’t need to pay for a ticket or a dress…and now Thor wanted you to do just that?

“Hey,” he said, squeezing the tips of his fingers into your thigh. When you looked down, you panicked at the dents he made. “Don’t worry about it,” he said. “If you don’t want to go, then you don’t have to. But I’d like it if you did. I’d take care of getting there and making sure you have something to wear.”

You looked from your thigh back to him and shook your head. “I couldn’t ask you to do that for me,” you said. “We’ve only been on three dates. Airfare’s expensive and-”

“Don’t worry about it,” he said, still smiling. Like this was nothing. Like it wasn’t already weird that he had all this money _and_ he was perfect _and_ he liked you **_and_** he was offering to pay for things for you. “I want to do this. Really.”

You thought about what you’d said to him on the double date date, about how he could give you everything you wanted. You thought harder about his response: _Would that be so bad?_ In this case, it might be. So you shook your head again and said, “I couldn’t take advantage of you like that.”

“You’re not,” he said, tilting his head and looking absolutely delicious. “I’m offering, knowing full well that I’m not expecting you to pay me back. I want you to go with me, if you’d like to, on a totally personal level. I want to do whatever I have to to go to this wedding with you.”

This words rang in your head again: _Would that be so bad?_ Would it be so bad if you let him pay for a flight and a dress to his ex’s wedding? It would be weird, but would it be _bad?_ You had to admit you wanted to go - going to Sweden with a guy who was really into you sounded like a good enough idea, right? Maybe? Would it be so bad if you accepted?

You bit your lip and sighed, then pushed down so you were laying again. His hand on your thigh swung around to your back, pulling you against him once more. “I want to go,” you said. “But there has to be a compromise somewhere. I won’t take advantage of you, Thor.”

“It’s really not that big of a deal-” he tried, but you put a finger to his lips and shook your head.

“It is. But I…I really like you. And, yeah, maybe going on an international trip after our third date is moving really fast but… Should I care?” you asked him, in as serious a tone as possible. “I mean, my gut says yeah, I care, but…I don’t want to.”

“Then don’t,” he told you, pushing hair away from your face. “Come with me to Sweden, have a good time, and then we can come back and resume a normally paced relationship.” His eyes had mostly closed by then, though he was still looking at you through little slits between his lids. He looked content, despite not having an answer from you.

He was happy just holding you, not pushing to take your clothes off or make you physically uncomfortable. Daisy might’ve been joking earlier, but her jokes had made you nervous all for nothing. Even if you’d changed your mind and decided you were ready, you were still relieved to realize that Thor was totally fine, totally comfortable just wrapped around you, waiting for you to say something - anything - to him.

You pressed forward and kissed him, then nodded as you leaned away. “Yes. I’ll go. But I’m paying for something.”

“Cab to the airport?” he asked, an undeniable smile taking up space on his face.

You didn’t answer. You just kissed him again.


	5. We Could Rush It Or We Could Go Slow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After getting _real_ on rather personal topics, Thor takes you on a trip.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Playlist can be found [here!](https://open.spotify.com/user/ji31wbf2u1u2uo7ufb05fh5v6/playlist/3LH4wkpZCGGjuXMLmIoozA?)
> 
> Just a disclaimer, there are mentions of mature content here. Nothing explicit (yet...which I actually got complaints about on original posting, but oh well), though!
> 
> Also I'd written this before I'd seen Crazy Rich Asians, and I still haven't read the books so...if this feels a little similar, it's purely by coincidence.

Unlike with some of your other relationships, sex with Thor changed only one thing: how much you trusted him. You’d never been so comfortable and relaxed with another partner, so sex came easily. You had few hesitations, and Thor seemed to enjoy himself just as much as you did.

So you felt a little bit better about going to Sweden.

You left the planning up to Thor and the yelling up to Daisy. She screamed for twenty minutes straight about how lucky you were, how much she wished she hadn’t passed up the opportunity to date Thor a few years back, and how much she was just joking about that. Then she spent another ten minutes telling you about the date she’d gone on with Grant, and you pretended to listen while you painted.

You and Thor managed to go on one last date before the wedding. You saw a movie, got dinner to take back to his place after, then hung out and talked. You asked him about his father’s company again, just trying to be casual, and he surprised you with his answer.

“My father learned his trade from his father. Odin wanted me to take the family business when he passed. It was never really what I wanted, but Loki didn’t, either, so I did it.”

“You did say your dad was a better realtor than you,” you mentioned, attempting to be playful. Even though you wondered what had happened between him and Loki more than you had before.

Thor at least seemed to go along with your joke as he chuckled. “He definitely was. And he knew I didn’t want what he did, but he still made sure I’d know how to take his place when I had to anyway.” You almost asked him what he meant by that, but after a short pause, it was like he knew you wanted clarification. “Odin was always very big on making sure the people that depended on his leadership could go home at the end of the day and not worry about a thing. Even the cleaning staff gets full benefits, a living wage, bonuses… Took me a long time to realize everyone that worked for him _wanted_ to. I just wish I’d seen it before he passed.”

For a minute, you wondered how you’d found the single most perfect rich boyfriend-type-person. You didn’t focus on the lack of label on your relationship just then. You just thought that Thor carrying on his father’s legacy in that way was…something special, for sure.

“And you did all of this for your brother?” you asked.

He nodded, not meeting your eyes briefly. “He hasn’t really been himself since our mum passed.”

You pushed hair around his ear and felt something warm within you. “So we’re both orphans then,” you whispered, only really recognizing the truth of your words the second they were out. Your throat clogged quickly when you thought of your parents, but if he was willing to tell you about his, you wanted to talk about yours, too.

Thor nodded. “Seems so. But at least you’ve got your Uncle Phil, right?”

You nodded, too. “He’s as much a dad to me as my own father was. Uncle Phil’s kind of the best.” Still, you sighed. “But I do miss my parents. Often.”

He slid across the bed closer to you, pushing himself down so his ear fell on your shoulder. His arms went around your middle and he asked, “Tell me about them?”

What could you do but oblige and run your fingers over his scalp?

“My mom was a school teacher. I used to draw things for her classrooms, which was really how I fell in love with art,” you told him. “My dad was Phil’s adopted brother. They shared everything except an employer, because my dad was an engineer at Stark Industries for twenty years before their accident. Phil used to tell me Mr. Stark insisted on setting my parents up at some charity event for educators, and the rest is history.” You shrugged and shut your eyes, not that Thor would be able to see. “Except for the accident. I was staying with Daisy and Uncle Phil one weekend when they went to a concert in LA. They were driving back when they were driven off the road.”

You hadn’t stopped abruptly, or at least you didn’t mean to. But that was the end of the story. It was all you knew. You didn’t have any flashbacks or memories of their deaths because you hadn’t been there, and despite the therapy you’d gone through as a teenager, you had never really gotten over the idea that you might’ve changed something if you’d gone with them to the concert. It wasn’t something you blamed yourself for, but it was still a thought you had when you thought about your parents.

More than that, though, you knew that you didn’t have to tell Thor as much as you had. Eventually you might have, but so early on? It wasn’t something you normally did. But, as you sat with him, you didn’t care. You _wanted_ to tell him.

He quietly said, “Daisy and Phil never told me he had an _adopted_ brother.”

You shrugged. “Because it doesn’t really change our family, I guess. My dad was his brother, no matter who they shared genes with.” You could remember the crease in your father’s eyes when he smiled, especially as he laughed at Phil’s dry humor with the shake of his head. They were brothers through and through, no matter what.

Since the funeral, you’d always thought you and Phil had a mutual understanding. You’d both lost pieces of yourselves, maybe even the same piece, the day of the accident. Phil and Melinda would’ve taken you in and cared for you anyway, but there’d always been a little voice in the back of your head that told you that Phil loved you as much as he loved Daisy _because_ you were what was left of his brother.

But you didn’t say as much to Thor. _That_ was all better saved for another day.

“Well, Stark does fancy himself a good matchmaker. Sometimes his schemes work, sometimes they don’t,” Thor said, seemingly out of nowhere. When you looked at him, he had a small but almost sad smile on his face. You’d seen smiles like that before - the pitying kind from people either too concerned with how you looked or too concerned with your parents. You’ve tried not to let it get to you for as long as you knew what smiles like that meant.

“Let me guess, Stark was your father’s business partner?” you asked.

He shook his head. “Mine, actually. Odin wasn’t overly fond of Tony Stark’s particular brand of humor, but I don’t mind it. Sometimes.” He shrugged, glossing over using his dad’s name instead of a title. “But he’s got a rather large home improvement team that I like to work with when I design houses. And his wife’s quite good at planning parties.”

“Isn’t she also, like, the head of the company?” you asked, remembering something about a long, skinny woman with strawberry blonde hair that your father may or may not have mentioned a few times.

“I believe so,” Thor said. “But I’ve only been able to meet her at the extravagant events she personally plans.”

You sat a little straighter at that and nodded. “Speaking of extravagant events,” you started, “I found a dress.”

His smile became genuine, and he sat up, too, his arms loosening around you. “Great! Can I see it?”

You nodded and pulled your phone out of your back pocket, pulling up the shipping confirmation on the [dress you’d already purchased](https://www.modcloth.com/dw/image/v2/ABAT_PRD/on/demandware.static/-/Sites-modcloth-master/default/dw2b6b7753/images/10099161_emphasis_on_opulence_fit_and_flare_dress_sage_PLUS-SIZE01.jpg?sw=1076&utm_source=linkshare&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=2454844). You hadn’t had the chance to tell him you’d gone ahead, with Daisy’s affirmation, and treated yourself. He glanced at your screen and his face fell into a scrunched expression.

“You already bought it?” he asked, looking at the generic confirmation message. You couldn’t tell if he was just confused or offended, but you were hoping for the former.

“I had a coupon code,” you said. “And it wasn’t that expensive to begin with. But…you think it’s okay? Like is it dress-y enough?”

He didn’t look up at you, but you watched his face. He gripped the phone, so you let go of it, and he brought it closer to his face. For a few quiet seconds, he examined the image of the dress, even clicking on it to go to the listing on the website. From there, he pinched the screen to zoom in and look at the details. When he didn’t really react at first, you felt your face fall with your stomach.

You wanted his approval. It was still weird thinking that you’d be going to Sweden with a guy you’d just started dating for his ex’s wedding. You wanted some part of this to be normal, and if that meant that you wanted Thor to like the dress you’d picked, then so be it. But his expression was unreadable at first, and it almost sent you into a panic.

He eventually nodded. His smile returned - if slowly - and you felt you could breathe again. When his eyes returned to you, you thought of the canvas back at Phil’s house, but only for a second. This wasn’t about that - although you did want to talk to him about possibly displaying the painting in the empty space between his bedroom and the workout room he’d made for himself.

“It’s lovely,” he said. “I can’t wait to see you in it.” His eyes seemed to sparkle, and everything inside of you that was ready to panic a moment ago righted itself. You felt like you could relax and smile back finally.

“I’m glad you like it,” you said, at once pleased and a little bashful.

He planted a kiss on your forehead before handing your phone back to you. “I do, and now I’m gonna have to find a tie to match it.”

//

For days before you were going to Sweden, you kept your cool at work and freaked out when you got home. You kept asking Daisy the same questions: What if this ruins everything? It’s so fast - what if it’s _too_ fast? What if a 10-12 hour flight is the end of it all? And how could you think going to Thor’s ex’s wedding was okay? Even if they were still friends?

Daisy sat you down every night that you didn’t spend at Thor’s, hands on your shoulders and a stern look on her face, and reminded you of things you already knew: That Thor really, genuinely liked you; that he wouldn’t have asked you to fly internationally with him for a wedding if he didn’t want to spend the time with you; that he wouldn’t be paying for the flight if he didn’t want to; and that this trip might test your relationship at whatever stage it was at, but you just had to be careful and conscientious. You could make this work, and if it did, maybe it would be the best thing to happen to you.

“You keep forgetting how much you deserve something like this, (Y/N),” she said the night before you left. “You’re, like, the single most hardworking person I’ve ever met. And I don’t just mean at work - you put effort into every little thing you do and you barely ever reward yourself for it. I think you’re crazy for never giving yourself a break. So take one.”

Somehow, she’d said exactly the right thing.

You kept her advice close as you hugged her, Uncle Phil, and Aunt Melinda the next morning before you drove to Thor’s house. You were leaving your car with his Range Rover while you _split_ the cabs to and from both airports. Before you got in your car, Uncle Phil held the driver’s door open for you and steadied you with a hand to your shoulder.

“If he tries anything funny, remember I have connections. I can get out there in half a day,” he said, even though the last part was an underestimation of how long it took to fly over the Atlantic ocean.

Still, you smiled and leaned forward to kiss his cheek. “I’ll be fine,” you told him. “This isn’t a _Taken_ situation.”

“You say that now,” he mumbled, but he still smiled. The wrinkles around his eyes made him look a lot older than he was, but also a little bit like your dad. Just enough to remind you of him. You said your goodbyes and a few last reassurances to Aunt Melinda that you’d call her when you landed, and then you got in your car and went off to Thor’s house.

He’d taken Fenrir to a friend’s house the day before, so there was no barking when you rang the doorbell. He was only half-dressed when he let you in, and you bit your lip at the sight of him in nothing but red basketball shorts that hung low on his hips. _Not fair_ you thought as you stared at the v-shape peeking out of the pants. _Not fair at all_. You shook your head and followed him into the kitchen, where a pot of coffee was just finishing brewing.

“I’m pretty much ready to go,” he said. “Just waiting for coffee and the cab.”

You nodded, and then the two of you leaned on the island hip-to-hip. “It’s really quiet here without Fenny,” you mentioned.

“Yeah,” he said. “Kinda miss him already.”

The coffee sputtered out its last bits of water loudly, so Thor turned his head and pushed off from the island. He pulled down two travel mugs from a cabinet above the pot, filled both of them, then returned to the island with one in each hand. You went to the fridge and pulled out milk and sugar, and in relative silence, you both poured and stirred until everything was just the way you liked it. Thor cleaned the pot, turned the burner off, and once everything was put away, he went upstairs to finish dressing.

Not thirty minutes later, you were on your way to LAX in the back of a yellow cab. Thor sat against the back driver’s side door and you sat in the middle - which normally you didn’t do, given how much smaller the seat is, but without a third person, you didn’t have to squish. You could sit next to Thor comfortably, his arm around your shoulders, your head on his as you sipped at your coffee and tried to stay awake.

Things moved even quicker then. You checked your large bags outside the terminal. The flight was early, so security was pretty empty. You went to take your shoes off before Thor called you over to the pre-check area, and since you’d let him book the flight and pay for the tickets, all you could do was follow with a little shrug. One TSA agent at the end of the row seemed to know Thor, but other than a short nod, they didn’t really acknowledge one another.

Thor held your hand as you waited in line at Starbucks for food and more coffee now that your travel mug had been emptied. You kept his fingers between yours when you went off and found seats at the actual gate. You ate slowly, then dozed off.

What felt like minutes later, Thor was shaking you awake to board the plane. You took your passport and ticket out, then got in the Preferred Boarding line - because of course Thor had purchased that luxury as well. You decided to wait until you got on the plane to say anything about it.

You were busy following Thor and barely noticed when he stepped out of the line and into a seat with a wall wrapped all the way around it. You looked at the seat next to it and realized that the chair itself faced his, and that the wall dividing the two had a sliding window.

“This one’s yours,” he said, pointing at the seat that faced his.

You glanced at him, then the seat, then you felt a push from behind and realized you were holding up the line. You moved forward and apologized to the people behind you, then slid into the little cocoon next to Thor’s seat. You put your backpack on the floor beneath the seat like you would any other seat, but you didn’t sit until you’d put the window between your little nooks down.

“You didn’t tell me we were flying first class,” you whispered to him through the open window.

“We’re not. This is Business class,” he said with a knowing, smug smirk.

“Same thing. Literally.” You sighed and leaned your head against the plastic opening around the window. “Please tell me you had miles or points or something. Make me feel like you didn’t really pay for the whole damn ticket and all of _this_.” With one hand, you gestured to the cabin.

He leaned on the window, too. “I had miles to use, yes,” he said, and immediately you felt a little less guilty about being in the nook, a little less like a moocher. “But I always fly business.”

You wondered if he even knew how rich he was. How privileged. Maybe that was his _real_ flaw - an inability to see how much he had when people around him went without. But you also thought that a conversation about that would have to take place in private. It felt to invasive and rude to bring it up with strangers around, especially on a plane so early in the morning.

Thor dropped his smirk, but kept his eyes on yours. “What if, when the seatbelt light goes off, you come over here and we watch something together?” he asked softly.

You looked in through the window at his seat, thought about your own, and panicked a little. “Is there enough room?” you asked. You normally hated sharing seats - or, even worse, you usually weren’t even given the option. Maybe you and Daisy could squeeze into a tight space together but she was half your size. Thor wasn’t.

But he didn’t at all seem fazed by the his proposal. He shrugged and told you, “We’ll make room.” Something in his look melted you, made you forget about being anxious and a little peeved. He didn’t actually flaunt his wealth, you thought. He was always considerate and he took care of his employees and, because you’d peeked at the bill on your first date, you knew he tipped waiters well. You still had a lot to learn about him, so you sighed and nodded.

You went through the motions required before takeoff. The plane was boarded to capacity, then it pulled back from the terminal, and within half an hour, you were in the air.

Going to Sweden.

For a wedding for people you’d never met.

You shut your eyes and forced yourself not to worry about any of that. Thor would be there with you. Even if the introductions were awkward, you’d still be taken care of.

When the seatbelt sign was turned off, you took the pillow from your seat and pulled your bag out from under your seat and grabbed your earphones, a book, and some snacks before going around the nook to Thor’s seat. He’d already reclined his chair and pushed himself to the far side of the it, leaving just enough room for you to slide in against him. You put all your extra stuff on the floor by his backpack, then got almost comfortable. There wasn’t an ideal amount of space between you, but you tried not to care. Maybe this wouldn’t work for the duration of the flight, but for now, it was fine.

“You’re not upset about the seats, are you?” he asked, even though his face was still rather calm and unbothered.

You sighed. “Not really. Surprised, maybe. Not used to it.”

He pulled you closer, if that was possible, and kissed your forehead. “Fair enough.” He went to kiss a spot lower, close to your eyebrow, but you tilted your head up and met his lips with yours. It was funny, you thought, that you actually missed kissing him. You missed laying in his super comfy bed, listening to Fenrir bark from the floor below. So you put your hand on his cheek and kept kissing him, as if to remind yourself that he was real and he was on an international flight with you.

//

It was the middle of the night in Sweden when you landed. Your phone might’ve said it was almost 1am, but your body was working at about 4pm-ish. You’d had a meal on the plane, but that had been hours ago. You were a little swollen and slightly sore from sitting and laying out for so long, but your only other option was to walk around the cabin until you couldn’t bear to look at the lines for the bathrooms anymore.

You were exhausted, and Thor looked like he was, too. You dreaded the idea of going through customs, but there wasn’t a choice. Thor had multiple passports, so he kept his American one out so you wouldn’t have to wait in separate lines. Thankfully, the airport was relatively empty due to the time, so you didn’t have to wait too long before pretending to smile at the border patrol officer, answering their questions with, “A wedding. Four days. Oh, Malibu - super sunny, lovely beaches. No, not far at all from Los Angeles.” Once you and Thor made it through with the required stamps, you trudged to baggage claim and leaned against him as you watched bags go by. Thor managed to untangle himself from you to grab both of your suitcases, then led the way outside.

There was a thin blond man with a beard and mustache combo standing against a black luxury car that waved at Thor when you walked out. Thor waved back, then looked at you and nodded. “That would be Fandral. We’ve been friends since primary school,” he told you.

You tried to smile, but it took a lot of effort. It took even more when you pulled your suitcase behind you over to the black car. Thor greeted the man with a fun, childish handshake and a huge smile, then he turned to you.

“This is my date, (Y/N),” he said with maybe a little too much pride in his eyes. You let it force your smile wider as Fandral held his hand out to you. Even as the word _date_ rang through your head.

 _Not girlfriend_ you thought.

“So good to meet you,” he said. “Thor hasn’t shut up about you for weeks!”

Your smile widened more as your face got hot. “That’s definitely good to know,” you said. “But he hasn’t quite given me details about his friends so am I congratulating you or…” You trailed off, raising an eyebrow at him.

Fandral looked at Thor like he was offended, hand to his chest and everything. “I can’t believe you, Asshole!” he said. “How could you possibly forget to tell this gorgeous woman about the best looking friend you have?” Then he turned back to you before Thor could do much more than laugh. “I appreciate the sentiment, but no, I’m not the one getting married. This oaf might’ve been more inclined to inform you of that had he not been distracted by your beautiful smile.” He wiggled his eyebrows at you, and you couldn’t help but laugh, too.

“Could you maybe not hit on my date?” Thor asked, though his face betrayed no sense of anger or entitlement. You realized, from that alone, that this was just how they were. This easy little teasing, Fandral being charming and humorous… It was normal, and not just for rich people. Just normal.

But that word again. _Date_.

“Not my fault you’ve been keeping this darling a not very well kept secret from us,” Fandral answered. He came over to you, pushed the handle into your suitcase, then lifted it and placed it in his open trunk. “Also not my fault you haven’t told her about us yet.”

Thor followed him, placing his own suitcase in the trunk. Fandral closed the hood, then came around and held the passenger door open for you. You thanked him before settling in to the plush leather seat. The car smelled new, and for a second, you felt a bit uncomfortable. You were in a foreign country with a man you’d been on all of four dates with before then. A man who was, apparently, just your _date_. And now you were in the front seat of his childhood friend’s car - a friend you hadn’t even heard about until you’d met him - about to go to a wedding for people you didn’t know and-

Your thoughts were cut short when Fandral opened the driver’s door and got in. Thor slid across the seat behind you before settling in the middle seat. You turned around and smiled at him. He smiled back, and most of your fears were calmed. He’d never given you a reason not to trust him. He’d insisted he wanted to take care of getting you to Sweden, at least in part so he could spend time with you.

So what if this wasn’t how a traditional relationship worked? Maybe it was just the way it was meant to be.

//

The reception was taking place at the groom’s family’s mansion, and since Thor was in the bridal party, you’d be staying there, too. You groaned internally when Fandral had pulled into the driveway, but you tried to keep it subtle.

When you and Thor were alone, you realized there was only one bed in the room. Of course there was only one bed - the place was a home, not a hotel. For some reason, one bed made you nervous, but Thor didn’t seem to mind at all. You’d shared his bed before, you reminded yourself.

You remembered to breathe. It wasn’t a big deal. But it was late and your body was begging for a few hours of sleep, despite having slept on the plane, so you pulled pajamas out of your suitcase and went into the bathroom to change. You noticed a large marble tub along one wall, a matching toilet at the other end of the room, and a long, luxurious vanity with soft lights lining the top of it. It was probably the nicest bathroom you’d ever been in, but you were too tired to truly appreciate it.

You lifted your shirt off and caught your reflection in the mirror for half a second. It was long enough for you to worry about what he saw when he looked at you, because at that moment, your eyes were red and your face looked a little swollen. Your tummy protruded over the band of your panties. You put your palm to the skin just below your belly button, but then there was a knock at the door.

“You okay?” Thor asked, his voice heavy and tired.

You looked away from the mirror and called out, “Yeah, sorry,” before resuming the task you’d come in to do. You turned away from the mirror to finish dressing, then folded your dirty plane clothes into a pile before heading back into the bedroom.

He’d gotten in bed, so all you could see was that he was shirtless and comfortable with his eyes closed and head drooping a bit. A mix of feelings stirred in you. On the one hand, he was an absolute piece of art just sitting there in the ornate bed with the duvet pulled up to cover most of his torso. And you _knew_ pieces of art. On the other hand, you were wondering what it was he was doing with you because he was an absolute work of art while you stood staring at him in your pajama shorts with a variety of screaming goats printed all over them and a mismatched Harry Potter shirt. You tried to push past the thoughts, though. It was too late to worry about any of that - both in the hour and in the relationship.

After putting your dirty clothes in a plastic garbage bag, Thor opened his eyes as you climbed into the luxurious bed next to him. You realized that, despite the bed being even bigger than his back in Malibu, he was situated nearly in the middle. You tried to give him some room, but as you settled in, he reached out for you.

“Can I get you anything?” he asked, watching your face closely.

You shrugged and asked, “Like?”

“Water? Food? It’s been a minute since we ate anything.” He put his hand on your hip and scooted closer to you, and you moved closer in response. His body was warm like it usually was, which eased some of the tension in your muscles almost on impact.

“I think I’m okay for now,” you whispered.

He nodded, then closed his eyes again. But it wasn’t a minute later before they reopened and he whispered, “I’m really glad you came here with me,” before pecking your lips effortlessly. “I can’t wait for you to meet everyone.”

“Why didn’t you tell me about your friends before?” you asked, trying not to sound like you were angry. You weren’t, really. You were curious more than anything else. Fandral had made it sound like Thor had gushed forever about you, but he hadn’t said a word about his group to you beyond explaining how he knew the bride and groom. It was…a little off putting, to say the least.

He paused and thought about his answer, rubbing little stripes on your hip with his thumb. It was soothing but distracting, even as you bent an elbow into your pillow and rested your cheek against your palm.

“I guess I was so busy telling them about you that I forgot,” he said, and you believed him. His smile stayed quaint and easy. “But I can tell you now, if you’re not too tired.”

You were tired, but you were also interested in knowing more about him. So you nodded slowly and adjusted your legs to get comfy for a talk, rather than sleep. Your toes brushed against his shin, and you waited for some kind of reaction out of him, but nothing came other than his voice.

“Fandral and I went to school together. Our parents were really close, so occasionally we also vacationed together. We met Sif, my ex, at a sleepaway camp when we were teenagers.” He saw your eyes get wide when he mentioned that Sif was his ex, so he sighed and said, “When I say she’s my ex, I mean we dated at camp for a single summer, then decided that distance wasn’t worth it, given that we were both still in high school.”

“Why not just call her a friend, then?” you asked.

Thor shrugged. “We’ve been joking for close to twenty years about being exes. I guess it’s just habit now.” He waited a few seconds until you nodded again, and when you bit your lip, he went on. “Fandral and I met Hogun on a business trip to Japan a few years ago. He liked us so much that he bought a house in Norway and called it _the Convergence_ , because Fandral and I would take trips out there to see Sif. So it really just became an annual get-together.”

You raised your brows at the fact that his friend Hogun named his house, but Thor just shrugged.

“Sif met Volstagg, her fiance,” he said with emphasis, “on a skiing trip in the Alps. I think you’ll like him especially. Most people do.”

You groaned and rolled your eyes playfully. “Ugh, your friends are so interesting. It’s gross, really,” you said, a sarcastic smile playing at your lips.

He laughed and leaned forward to kiss you again. You thought that, the more of those little quick kisses he left, the more you wanted. He made you feel _wanted_ and welcomed, even as he gave you a quick rundown of his friends. When he relaxed again he said, “They’re…kind of family, you know? And I’m really glad you’re gonna get to meet them.”

You remembered all the times you’d worried about how weird it would be to go to Thor’s ex’s wedding and you tore the insecurities that came with that idea up. All it took was those two sentences, and you felt so much better about this whole weird situation. This wasn’t just an extravagant event that would turn awkward when he introduced you to his ex. This was a convergence of his worlds. This was his new girl meeting his old friends - his _family_. And you - of all the people in the world - were his new girl. You couldn’t believe how lucky you were to have him looking at you like you held the world on a string.

“Would it be really cheesy of me to say I’m super honored?” you asked, sliding down to put your head on the pillow again. You put one arm under the pillow and the other over his shoulder and around the back of his neck. You suddenly didn’t care about anything that existed outside of that bedroom. You put your body against Thor’s and sighed as he shrugged.

“Only a little, but it still means a lot. To me.” He kissed you again, and before he could pull back, you put pressure on his neck to keep him where he was. He smiled into the kiss and held onto you tighter. When you finally let him go, he kissed your forehead and told you to get to sleep because you both had a long day ahead of you.


	6. Come And Put It Down On Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time for the wedding!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Playlist can be found [here](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3LH4wkpZCGGjuXMLmIoozA)!

He woke up so stealthily and quietly that you didn’t even notice he’d gotten out of bed until he was leaning over you, calling your name softly as he pushed hair away from your face. You groaned and turned to face him, opening one eye to see him smiling at you in a white button down shirt.

“Where’re you going?” you asked groggily, reaching to grip the collar of his shirt gently.

“Rehearsal breakfast,” he answered with a roll of his eyes. “It’s my own fault for scheduling our flight too close to the ceremony.”

You rubbed your eyes and went to sit up, but he put a hand on your shoulder and shook his head.

“I just wanted to say good morning before I left,” he said.

“What am I supposed to do without you to show me around?” you asked, only half-joking. You didn’t have any idea what time the ceremony started or where you’d be going or how to get there. You didn’t even really know your way around the mansion you were in. You made a mental note not to let Thor plan a trip like this on his own again.

“I’ve already texted you directions to the kitchen from here. And back. And I arranged for a car to take you to the church around 2. Just be downstairs by then. Everything else is taken care of.” He kissed your forehead and you tugged on his collar. “You’ve got plenty of time to go back to sleep if you want. I’ll see you later.” This time, he kissed your lips until you let his shirt go, then he stood without breaking away, since you sat up with him. He chuckled, then put both his hands on your cheeks to pull you from him. “If you need anything, text me.”

You nodded, then followed him to the bedroom door. He turned to you in the threshold and kissed you one more time.

“Can’t wait to see what that dress looks like on,” he said with a wink.

You smiled softly and licked your lip. “And if you’re lucky, you might get to see what it looks like off, too.” You stood up on your toes to kiss him quick, then snuck back into the room and shut the door before he could say anything.

You didn’t know why you’d said it, but you did, and truth be told…you didn’t regret it. You bit your lip and leaned against the door, imagining his face on the other side stuck in complete shock and awe.

You couldn’t wait for this wedding to be over already.

//

The house seemed empty when you eventually made your way down to the kitchen for brunch. It was late enough that it wasn’t breakfast time anymore, but you’d gone back to sleep for a bit after Thor left. You didn’t feel as groggy or swollen as you had after the flight, so you’d put a bra on and went to find food.

The kitchen was pristine and modern. All of the appliances were stainless steel and automatic. The fridge had one of those clear panels that, when you tapped it, you could see what was inside without opening the door. You would’ve been surprised if you weren’t literally in a mansion. You munched on little pastries and fruit, not wanting to take too much, since you hadn’t even met the owner of the house yet.

Then you went back upstairs and took a bath in the huge tub. There’d been bubble solution left out, so you relaxed and listened to a podcast from your phone and just soaked. After you’d slipped into a robe you’d found in the linen closet, you opened your computer and FaceTimed Daisy. It was still pretty early at home, but she was hard at work already. Daisy was like Thor in that she was a jack of all trades; she did little bit of everything online, from security to social media to video and audio editing. She made decent money doing all of that, too.

“So Thor hadn’t even told me about his friends,” you told her as you applied your makeup. “But I met Fandral last night at the airport. Seems nice. I’m excited to meet the rest of their little crew.”

Daisy laughed, and when you looked at her, she shrugged. “You look pretty content in that super fancy bathroom,” she said.

You rolled your eyes. “I kinda feel like royalty?” You weren’t sure if it was more of a statement or a question yourself, but you didn’t bother worrying about it. You leaned toward the mirror, out of the frame for Daisy to see you, and applied mascara. “I’m not crazy for thinking this is all a little much, right?”

“Probably not,” Daisy said. “But at least you’re enjoying yourself.”

You sat back and nodded, capping the mascara before moving on. “He booked us in first class without telling me, which I dragged him for. A little.”

She scoffed. “You’re so fucking lucky, (Y/N). I mean, I know moving fast like that might be freaking you out but…believe me. You’re lucky.”

“I know I am,” you said, looking at her a little more seriously now. There was something in her tone that made you want to ask about Grant, but you decided doing so in person might be better. Even if you were alone, you almost felt like you weren’t, and you knew she’d insist everything was fine if you weren’t pestering her in person for more information. So instead, you asked, “Guess I should thank you, right?”

She dramatically threw her hair over her shoulder. “Well it certainly wouldn’t hurt,” she said in a similar fashion, and then she laughed, and you laughed with her. When you’d calmed, she went back to work and said, “But seriously. Don’t take that as me saying he’s not also lucky because, babe, you’re a catch, okay?” You started to apply eyeliner as you nonchalantly agreed, and she went on with, “I mean it. I’m really happy for you both.”

“Now it’s your turn,” you mumbled, and then you laughed again when she scoffed.

“Right,” she said, clicking away at her mouse. “Because I have the best track record with relationships.” Again, you wanted to ask her about Grant. And you almost did, but she quickly went on with, “You, on the other hand, are a serial monogamist.”

“I am not!” you said, even though Daisy was right.

“Oh please,” she said. “You either go on two dates and call it quits or you’re in it for the long haul.”

You sat back again, this time because you were stunned. Daisy was right. You thought about the guys you’d dated before - either the relationship went nowhere, or it got so serious you almost moved in with one of them. That never happened, but it was an option. You wondered if it was the same with Thor.

“Hey Goo-goo Eyes,” Daisy said, breaking into your thoughts as she turned back to her screen. “Stop daydreaming and go get the real thing, ‘kay?” She winked at you.

Heat creeped up your neck and into your cheeks and you bit into your lip. Maybe you were embarrassed, but this reaction was a good thing. It was a sign that things were going well, you thought. You just hoped you weren’t being too presumptuous.

“I’ve gotta get more work done, and you’ve gotta get ready for a rich person’s wedding,” Daisy said. “Love you, (Y/N).”

You met her eyes and said, “Love you too, D. I’ll text you later.”

She nodded, waved, and then she was gone. You shut your computer and continued to get ready.

//

Just like Thor’d said, there was a car waiting for you at the end of the driveway at 2. It was a sleek black town car with tinted windows and a driver wearing an actual tailored suit. You would’ve been uncomfortable being so spoiled if you’d been staying in a small cabin in the middle of the woods, but really, you continued to feel like royalty. Like the distant cousin of a Princess or something. You were sure Daisy would like the sound of that.

You smiled and thanked the chauffeur as he opened the back door and waited for you to slide in before closing it once more. He was polite during the ride, if a little quiet, so you spent most of it looking out the window at a country you’d never seen before.

Everything was green. The trees were so tall you couldn’t even see the tops of them. Most of the buildings you passed had spires and towers; they were older than most buildings you’d ever seen, and they stunned you into silence.

The church was no exception; it had to have been built long before air conditioning had been invented. The bricks were brown and red, with stained glass windows and huge towers branching off the main building. It was gorgeous, and all you could do was stare in awe.

You thanked the chauffeur once more as he let you out, then held your purse close as you slowly followed a couple into the church. The interior was lit with little electric lights strung along the walls. At the far end of the room, you saw the altar set against an arch covered in fairy lights. The decorations were simple - silver and white, understated but elegant. You couldn’t help but smile and look around at everything.

And then you saw the guests filling the pews. Everyone was tall, and they all seemed to be in couples or groups. You didn’t know what to expect from a Swedish wedding - you really wished Thor had given you some damn pointers beforehand. But he hadn’t, and you were on your own.

You bit your lip and looked around to find a seat, settling your gaze on a young woman with dark tan skin and a long, dark braid who seemed to be by herself. She wasn’t too far back from the altar, so you approached her slowly, noticing that she was scrolling through something on her phone. You leaned down as you neared and asked, “I’m so sorry to bother you. But is this seat taken?”

She looked up at, examined you for a moment, then smiled. Or smirked, It was hard to tell - her face was gorgeous and intimidating with her round cheeks puffed up, and her expression left you confused. “Not at all,” she said with a peculiar accent.

You let out a sigh of relief and sat beside her, placing your purse in your lap. “Thank you so much,” you muttered, holding a hand out to her. “I’m (Y/n).”

She nodded and shook your hand, and again in that gorgeous accent she told you, “My friends call me Hilde.” She winked, lightly dropped your hand, and nodded toward the altar. “Are you with the bride or groom?”

You turned your lips in and shook your head. “Neither, actually.” You stopped, thought about it, and shrugged. “Maybe both?”

Hilde rose her eyebrows at you, but didn’t actually ask a question.

“My- um.” The night before, at the airport, you remembered Thor calling you his _date_. Twice. That was the closest title you had to offer, so you went with it, even if it left you with a weird, almost tight feeling in your chest. “My date’s a Groomsman.”

Her expression widened slowly and she stared at you like she was seeing a ghost. “Wait,” she said, “you’re _Thor’s (Y/N)_?”

 _Date_. You were Thor’s _Date_. You were the girl Thor had brought to his house a few times and taken on a few dates, then brought on an international trip for a couple days. Yeah, sure, you could see how _Date_ was the perfect descriptor for…whatever it was you were to each other.

Except it very much wasn’t, and the fact that Hilde knew who you were without you ever having mentioned Thor by name only assured you of that.

“Um. Yes?” you said, trying your best to smile and not sweat. “You know Thor? Then you’re here for the Groom?”

Hilde shook her head. “Like you, I’m here for both sides. My wife’s the maid of honor, actually.” Her smile returned at the word _wife_ , and for some reason, that helped you relax. “We’re quite close with Thor, but I’m not surprised he hasn’t seemed to tell you about me.” She shrugged. “You, on the other hand, I’ve heard quite a bit about.” The sly playfulness of her smile returned.

“You’re actually not the first person to say pretty much the same thing,” you told her.

She rolled her eyes - at Thor, you hoped, or maybe Fandral. You’d accept that, too, even if you didn’t see how she could know he’d been the one you were talking about. “Your _pojkvän_ is an enthusiastic fool. In a good way.” She’d leaned toward you to say the last bit.

You squinted slightly at her, shifting closer as someone came to sit on your other side. You paid them no mind while you said, “I don’t follow.” It sounded better than telling her you didn’t even know what language she was dipping into.

She winked again. “You know when you spend time with two people, and you only ever talk about the other person when you’re with one of them?” she asked.

You nodded, half curious about where she was going and half confused.

“When Thor’s excited, he only shares with people who aren’t witnessing the excitement. He’s told all of us about you, but apparently hasn’t said much about us _to_ you.”

You weren’t sure how that made you feel. But you also didn’t have much time to think about it, as people hurried to the pews all at once, and within two minutes, music began to play.

Slowly and in time with the music, three pairs walked down the aisle. Fandral was hooked arm-in-arm with a blonde woman about his height - you thought she had to be Hilde’s wife, since she stood at the top of the altar, a few feet from the center of the dias, the Maid of Honor’s place. You almost waved at Thor as he walked past, but he was on the opposite side of the aisle from you, so you settled for a smile and a smaller wave when he faced the pews at the altar. He was accompanied by a petite brunette woman that took the spot below Hilde’s wife. The last groomsman had to be Hogun, who was leading a dark skinned woman with silver weaved into her braids down the aisle.

Then the music changed, and everyone stood. You were in the midst of thinking how similar a Swedish wedding was to an American one when the Bride and Groom moved past you. Together. Arm-in-arm, smiling at one another through her veil. He had a huge bush of a red beard and mustache, and his long hair was braided in two long, tight braids. He was wide and tall, not totally unlike Thor, and his smile was so big, he could power a planet with the shine of his teeth. She was just as tall, with waves of dark hair that fell over her shoulders and made it difficult to see exactly what her dress looked like. That was okay, though, because you were sure you’d get to see it when Thor, inevitably, introduced you later.

You followed the lead of those around you, sitting when they did, listening as you tried to follow along. Occasionally, Hilde leaned over to tell you what was happening, but when she didn’t, you were left to try to figure it out yourself. The problem was that you didn’t really understand the Swedish (or Norwegian…you honestly couldn’t tell which was being spoken or if both were) you heard. Still, you knew the ceremony was lovely by the gorgeous smile on the bride’s face, and by the tender way they exchanged rings. Or rather, the way the groom placed a ring on the bride’s finger - Hilde leaned over to tell you that it was customary for them both to wear engagement rings, but that the bride was the only one who received a new ring upon marriage. That made you wonder how her and her wife went about a ring exchange, but only briefly.

When they were pronounced husband and wife and the procession out of the church started, you stood with Hilde and clapped and cheered, especially when Thor caught your eye and winked on his way out.

When most of the church had cleared, you and Hilde made your way outside. The bridal party had already been carted off somewhere, and people were getting into cars all throughout the lot in front of you. You’d started heading to find the town car you’d been brought in when you realized Hilde had stopped. You turned back to her and asked, “Aren’t you coming to the reception?”

She chuckled. “When I can find a ride.”

“There’s plenty of room in my car,” you said with a shrug.

Hilde stared at you, then rose her brows. “You have a car? Here?”

You figured she could tell from your accent that you weren’t from Sweden. Literally anyone could. So you shook your head and told her, “Thor arranged for a car to bring me here and back. It’s just me and the driver, so there’s plenty of room.”

It took her a moment, but then Hilde nodded and followed you to the car. “I appreciate it,” she said. “I took a ride out here with the bridesmaids, but they seemed to have disappeared on me.”

//

Before the reception, you hadn’t made it onto the lawn behind the mansion. But as the car pulled up to the house, you saw waves of people heading around the main part of the building and into the area behind it, so when you and Hilde got out, that’s where you went.

The yard was lined with fairy lights like the church had been. Wooden posts throughout the space stood, connecting the lights above a shiny dancefloor. To the left was a long white tent, with a high peaked roof. Inside was cool and lit well. There were two long tables at the entrance covered in little seating tags with silver and white ribbons attached, but the main table consisted on three long sides in the shape of a U. There were four shorter tables that ran off the main shape, which meant that everyone would be sitting at one table, one way or another.

Hilde found her seating tag easily, but it took you a bit longer. Hilde was the one that found your tag, but you only knew it when she started laughing. She waved you over and held the tag out, and when you saw it, you realized what she thought was funny.

“I guess they had these made before Loki disappeared?” you asked, like she would know the answer. Hilde just kept laughing, holding her hand over her mouth. You rolled your eyes, shaking your head before you went to find the seat you were meant to take. Hilde was only two seats away, so for the time being, she sat in what you assumed was Thor’s seat. You watched other guests file in for a bit, turning the tag with Loki’s name over without thinking about it.

“You know, I’m kind of glad you’re here instead of Loki,” she said, leaning back far enough in her chair to tip it a bit. “I know we just met and…whatever. But Thor has many more nice things to say about you than he does his brother.”

You weren’t sure if you were supposed to smile at that or not. It didn’t help that Thor hadn’t told you anything about his friends beforehand. “Thanks,” you tried. “I think?”

She smirked and called a waiter over, then ordered in a language you couldn’t follow. The waiter and nodded headed off, then Hilde turned back to you. “Loki’s…not my favorite person.”

You waited for her to say more. You wanted her to. Thor had hardly said anything about Loki that didn’t directly affect his home and Fenrir. You wanted to know more, but Hilde wasn’t going to give it to you. You realized, after a few seconds of silence, that that was probably for the better. You’d have to talk to Thor for details about his brother later. You’d most likely appreciate having him tell you about Loki himself.

The waiter came back with two glasses then, placing one in front of Hilde and the other in front of you. When he left, she clicked her glass against yours and said, “If my wife asks, you ordered these.” Then she winked at you, and you nodded automatically. You barely even thought about what she said before you picked up the glass and drank half of whatever it was - and then you sat forward, coughing as it burned your throat, lungs, and brain.

“What the hell is this?” you asked, shoving the glass to the other side of the table. Hilde just laughed, sipping on the drink as she stood and moved to her assigned seat.

Thor took his place next to you then, watching with care and sarcasm as you tried to catch a breath. “Please tell me you didn’t let Hilde order your drink,” he said with a nod in her direction.

You rolled your eyes as a waiter brought over a glass of water. After taking a sip and calming down, you pursed your lips at Thor. “I would’ve known not to let her do it if you’d told me to watch out for her beforehand,” you said in a light tone, to let him know you were only teasing. You even batted your lashes to emphasize the playfulness you were trying to get across.

Thor laughed, hanging his head a bit lower as he nodded. “You’ve got me there,” he said. Then he looked at the table, saw your tag, and kept nodding. “Sorry about this. Loki was supposed to come originally.”

You nodded this time. “I figured,” you said before knocking the tag over so neither of you had to look at it. “No worries. I’m getting the feeling I might be better company anyway.” You scrunched your face at him, and he laughed once more.

“I’d say that feeling has logic behind it.” He winked at you, and before you thought about it, you were leaning forward. He came toward you too, your lips meeting halfway between you. He placed a hand on your cheek - warm and soft - and for a second, you felt like you were back at his house with Fenrir downstairs. In that moment, you almost understood why he might not tell you about all of his friends - maybe, sometimes, he just wanted moments of you.

The thought made your chest warm. Or maybe it was the drink Hilde had ordered. You didn’t care. All you thought about was Thor kissing you, at least until his name was called from behind him. He pulled back, and you both turned your attention to Hilde, who’s wife was now seated beside her.

“You’re gonna have to share her, mate. Be warned,” Hilde said, winking at you.

You smiled while Thor chuckled at them. “Take a number,” he retorted, before turning back to you. His smirk grew the closer he got until his nose almost touched yours, and then he said, “And don’t you start thinking I didn’t hear exactly what you said this morning.”

The warm feeling in your chest spread quickly, up your neck and into your face. You had nothing to say, no retort to make, and you could see in Thor’s eyes that he took it as a victory. If you’d been standing, your knees would’ve buckled for sure. You did the only thing you could think to do: you leaned forward and kissed him again, but that was cut short with the arrival of the bride and groom.

//

The reception consisted mostly of long, heartfelt speeches. Thor leaned over after the first few and told you it was a Scandinavian tradition to have most members of the friends and family give a speech, so you listened closely even if you couldn’t understand what was being said. Between each speech, Thor translated as much as he could remember. You liked that part for sure.

Dinner was delicious - one of the best you’d honestly ever had - and then Thor brought you over to the desert table you hadn’t noticed earlier. “We cut our own slices,” he said, breaking off a slice of the decadent silver and white cake for you. When you returned to the table, you and Thor took the seats closest to the bride and groom so he could introduce you.

After the formalities we’re out of the way, Sif sat forward in her seat and said, “Thor says you’re an artist,” with possibly the prettiest smile you’ve ever seen. She was gorgeous - long black hair curled softly to fall flatteringly over her shoulders, smooth skin with just a hint of freckles, dark eyes that watched everything around her carefully. You couldn’t see how you compared, at least until you remembered that she and Thor had only dated when they were kids at summer camp.

You put your fork down and tried to smile. “I paint. Portraits and commissions, mostly.”

Thor pulled his phone out and as he finished chewing, he pulled up the picture of your unfinished canvas, though this one was an updated version of the original Daisy had sent to him. He wiped his mouth with a napkin before telling Sif and Volstagg, “She started this the day after we met.” You watched him beam, his face sunny in the dim area, and you couldn’t help but smile wider with him.

Volstagg pointed and let out a bellowing laugh. “Those’re your eyes, mate,” he said, his eyes crinkling in glee. His voice was big and happy, and you could tell that he wasn’t laughing _at_ you. He came off too jolly to be rude. “That’s how you know she’s a keeper.” He winked at you, and Sif shook her head playfully.

“You’re very talented,” she said. “Are you able to support yourself doing this?”

You licked your lips. “Not yet. But that’s the goal.” You shrugged and picked your fork up again, digging into the cake almost as if to distract yourself.

“Well, you’ll have to leave your information with me,” Sif continued. “I want something of that caliber to hang in our home.” She looked at Volstagg, and as they nodded in silent agreement, you could see plain on their faces (and in how close their bodies were) that they were absolutely in love. There was no question about it.

You caught yourself staring as you thought about how much you wanted that. Your eyes shifted to Thor - because _of course_ they did - and you found he was looking back at you. For maybe the first time, you really thought you _could_ have what Sif and Volstagg had. Maybe you were already working your way to it.

//

The dancing came much later. You were pleasantly surprised at the lack of bouquet and garter tosses, though both seemed to be replaced with a tradition where, if the bride left the tent, all of the women in the room stood in a line and kissed the groom, and vice versa if the groom left. You played along, grateful that Volstagg was quick and tipsy, so he laughed the whole way down the line.

Then everyone rallied outside, where the temperature had dropped significantly. If you were a skinny girl, you might’ve been timid about asking Thor for his blazer. Instead, you enjoyed the cool air and felt less nervous about ugly sweating, so you were confident in pulling Thor to the dance floor once other couples had joined Sif and Volstagg.

You swayed comfortably with him, just holding each other while you tried not to think about this dream ending and the bubble around your happiness popping. You kept looking up at Thor - who was barely taller than you in your heels - and smiling whenever he leaned down a bit to kiss you. You weren’t saying anything then, but it meant a lot to you that he was so open with affection.

“Hey,” you called as one song ended and the next began. “What’s a…poik-vihan?”

He took a second, then pushed his eyebrows up in a quick questioning glance. “A _pojkvän_?” he asked back. When you nodded, he laughed softly once and shook his head. “Let me guess: Hilde was shit talking me?”

Your eyes shot down, though you were still smiling. You couldn’t stop, not that you wanted to. You nodded and said, “Just a little.”

Thor spun you out as the music hit a dramatic crescendo, then pulled you back until you were tight against him again. “It’s Swedish for _boyfriend_.”

You watched him closely as you kept spinning, but nothing in his expression changed. There was no indication that he didn’t like being called your boyfriend. He didn’t say you had to talk, so there was no sense of urgency to correct what Hilde had said to you. Part of you was left with more questions about what you were doing or how fast you were going, but otherwise, you felt content and happy, not at all like you expected as a fat girl at a wedding with people you didn’t know.

You were in good hands, you knew. You also knew you wanted to call Thor your boyfriend. You wanted him to call you his girlfriend. You didn’t just want to be _dates_ anymore. And as you kept eye contact with him, you could see that happy little future you wanted when you observed Sif and Volstagg earlier.


	7. You're So Sweet, Sweet To Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Thor take a day to explore...more than just the small Swedish town.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS ADULT/EXPLICIT SEXUAL CONTENT. PROCEED WITH CAUTION.

The next day, after Sif and Volstagg left for their honeymoon, you and Thor went out. He borrowed Volstaag’s car and took you to his favorite places in the small village not far from the mansion; you had breakfast in an adorable little cafe, then browsed an ancient bookstore and the stationary shop next door. You picked out trinkets to take home for Daisy and Aunt Melinda in a quaint little antique store. He brought you to a small park around midday, where you simply walked around and took in the sights and sounds. He kept your hand in his the whole way.

You ended the day at a nice restaurant that looked out onto a river. You sat facing the sunset, watching contentedly while Thor ordered everything. You trusted he knew what you’d like, and he spoke the language.

Thor kept your hand in his along the table. He spent a few quiet minutes running his thumb over your knuckles while you looked out the window and wondered how any of this was real. You still couldn’t believe it was all happening to you - two months ago, you were just another fat girl in a club with her cousin, expecting to be ignored the whole night while Daisy got ogled. But even that wasn’t the truth of what’d happened. Daisy had made sure of it, and now you were in Sweden living a fairy tale with quite possibly the most unreal and best person you’d ever met.

You couldn’t help but keep smiling, which you took as a good sign. You turned your attention to Thor and said, “So…I really like your friends. Even if I didn’t get a beginner’s course on what to expect ahead of time.” You winked to let him know you were just teasing.

He nodded and looked down, smiling too, even though he was guilty of your accusation. “They raked me through the coals for not telling you anything, too,” he said. Then he shrugged, because you both knew it didn’t end up being a big deal. Everyone got to tease him about it, and that was that. “But they also _raved_ about you.”

“Really?” you asked, unable to decide if you were excited or nervous about that. In any case, you felt your chest and face get warm like they always did when Thor flattered you. Which was often.

“Yeah,” he said with a small laugh. “Hilde especially. Which is…” His lips turned in and he squinted one eye as he thought of the right words to say. He leaned his elbows on the table before saying, “It takes a lot to get her approval. So I think that’s a good sign.”

“I think you buttered her up for me, so I can’t take all the credit.” You remembered the way she’d greeted you and knew that, if you’d made such a good impression on Hilde so quickly, Thor had had _something_ to do with it. You just wondered what he’d said to make her take a liking to you so quickly.

“You know, I wasn’t gonna say anything, but I want to,” he said with a small shrug. “Volstagg said something that I can’t stop thinking about.”

You expected him to tell, but he didn’t. He kept eye contact, and his thumb kept rubbing a small line across your hand, but that was it. You felt your smile fall just a bit, suddenly a little worried, probably about nothing. You forced out, “And that is?”

“He said that he could tell you were good for me. Just like that.” Thor snapped his fingers and you jumped a little. “He never says stuff like that, but he did.” Even as he smiled, you could see the serious look in his eyes. “And I think he’s right.”

Heat flooded your cheeks and chest, all the way across your shoulders and down your back as he continued to look at you. You bit your lip, but didn’t dare look away. You kept thinking that all this time, you’d been worried about whether or not Thor really liked you, really wanted to be with you. You continuously feared all of this being a cruel joke because it wouldn’t be the first time a guy played a prank on you when it came to dating you. One-hundred percent of the time, you were concerned that Thor would finally really see that you were fat, that you weren’t thin and pretty arm candy…but he’d never looked at you like you were. You’d never considered that he needed validation just as much as you did, at least when it came to making sure being with you was a good choice.

So knowing that one of his friends was giving it openly, and that he was accepting of it, made your stomach churn with flutters in the best way.

//

You never came through with your promiscuous tease when Thor had left to get ready for the wedding. By the time you’d gotten back to the room after the reception (which was less than twenty-four hours after you’d taken an international flight), you were both exhausted and needed sleep.

But after a full day of exploring the Swedish countryside, you were satisfied and wide awake. And you kept thinking about _how good you were for him_ , and how you knew, now more than ever, that he was good for you too. He was kind, supportive, hopeful, and generous. He wasn’t afraid to openly show the world that you were together. That meant so much to you that you couldn’t even say.

So you decided to show him. You wanted it to be special, though you had few tools to work with in a house you weren’t familiar with. But that was okay. If your gut feeling was right, you didn’t need to go over the top to make your point.

Even though it was still early, Thor asked if you wanted to get in pajamas when you returned to the mansion. You answered with an affirmative grunt, even though you had other plans. You managed to sneak his shirt from the wedding out of his suitcase before heading into the bathroom with your pajamas to cover the shirt. Once inside, you stripped down to your underwear, then held his shirt up against your chest to make sure it would fit. He was broad in the shoulders and slim in the hips, and his biceps were huge. When you slipped into the shirt, you knew you’d have to keep it unbuttoned. It fit across you arms and back, but your hips created a strain on the fabric, which you tried to ignore as much as possible.

You looked yourself over and fought the urge to cover up. You could see your stretch marks, the parts of your tummy that rolled over itself, the way your hips met your back instead of rushing in a smooth line. But you reminded yourself that Thor thought you were good for him. He’d always looked at you like someone he wanted to be around, not like another fat girl stretching too far. You hoped he’d like what he saw, then took a deep breath, nodded, and went back into the bedroom.

He was already in bed with the covers pulled up to his torso, scrolling through his phone when you came into the room. You went over and sat on the edge of the bed, shifting to decrease the amount of rolls your stomach formed. He caught you in the act and you froze, one leg hanging off the bed and the other bent in front of you.

A smile formed on his face as he asked, “Is that my shirt?” He put his phone on the bedside table when you nodded, then his hand landed on your knee.

“Looks better on you, I know,” you said with a soft smile, only half-joking. You weren’t blaming your body for the shirt not fitting as well as you’d hoped, but you knew that’s exactly how it sounded. Really, it was just that the shirt wasn’t cut for curves.

Thor sighed and sat forward. “I genuinely disagree,” he said, his brows risen in a serious line. “But I’m curious as to why you’re wearing it.” His hand moved up from your knee, along your thigh until he stopped it midway.

“Just…” You shrugged. “Trying to be cute, I guess.”

“Trying?” he asked, his free hand lifting to pull gently on the collar of the shirt. “(Y/N), you definitely don’t have to try to be cute for me.” And just like he knew what you were planning, he started to bring the shirt down from your shoulder. Then he brought his lips to your shoulder and kissed the skin, and you bit your lip. “But that’s not to say I don’t appreciate the effort,” he said, barely breaking the contact between you.

He trailed little tantalizing kisses up your shoulder and neck, pausing only when he made it to your jaw. You were stiff, despite your best efforts. He hadn’t even touched a part of you that you weren’t proud of or anything, but the idea of him leaning into your plan and having sex… You couldn’t say why it made you hesitate, especially since it wasn’t your first time with him.

Thor noticed. “What is it?” he asked softly, pulling back so he could look you in the eyes.

You shrugged and shook your head at the same time, unable to pick one reaction and stick with it. Just a few minutes ago, all you wanted was to attempt a seduction and have your way with Thor, to prove that you were good for him and that he was good for you, and now…he sat back, pushed the blanket off his lap, and motioned for you to come to him. You didn’t move at first, so he leaned forward to pick up your hands, then pulled you closer. He instructed you to put your legs around his, and to sit in his lap to face him, and then his hands went around your back.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, searching your eyes for answers your mouth wouldn’t give.

Until it did. “I don’t know. I just…” You sighed. “You are…absolutely gorgeous.” Almost absently, your fingers trailed down his chest. “And me? I’m just a fat girl from Malibu.”

He looked at you curiously, tilting his head as his brow furrowed deeper. “You are _not_ just a fat girl from Malibu.” One hand came down from your back and returned to your thigh. “You’re an artist, and one of the most kind hearted people I know.” He pushed up enough to kiss you quickly, then said, “And this?” He pulled on the collar of his shirt again. “You know the thing with the shirt is a trope for a reason, right?”

You nodded, but didn’t say anything. He kissed you again, but when he pulled back this time, his hand on your thigh dug into the soft, supple skin and his lips moved back to your jaw.

“It’s really fucking sexy,” he whispered, his breath ghosting over your ear and neck and making you shiver all over.

The heat flooding your whole body broke you from the nervous hold your mind had. You cupped Thor’s face and brought his lips back to your neck. You shut your eyes instinctively when he licked and bit and kissed a sensitive spot, not even noticing when his hands went to both of your shoulders. He pushed the shirt off of you, and cool air washed over your bare arms.

You dragged the pads of your fingers down his shoulders and chest, stopping when you ran over a series of smooth bumps. Your eyes shot open and you pushed against him so you could see what you felt.

He was _dotted_ in scars. Big and small, in pink and yellow and orange hues. You couldn’t figure out how you’d never seen them before, how you’d missed them the last time you’d touched his bare torso. You slowly traced them with your fingers, and Thor didn’t stop you. “What is all of this?” you asked quietly.

He breathed heavily, and after a moment, he nodded. “I served in Australia,” he said.

“You were in prison?” you asked, your face scrunching in confusion. Out of all the things you knew about him, that was the furthest thing you could expect.

He laughed, and you felt his skin jump under your touch. “No, of course not. I was in the Army.”

“Oh,” you whispered, unable to look away from the scars. You wondered how he’d gotten each one, but you didn’t ask. He’d never mentioned being in the Army before then, so you figured he probably didn’t want to talk about it. He’d tell you when he was ready, you thought.

“It wasn’t for long. My father told me to enlist. He said something about building character or…something. But,” he sighed again, dropping his eyes to your hands on his torso. “I was a different man then. A boy, really.”

You listened, but you weren’t trying to even imagine what he was like then. You studied his scars and thought about how much they felt like stretch marks. Maybe they grew the opposite way - out rather than in - but the skin had a similar texture. Just a moment ago, he was perfect and now he had a defect like you did.

Only, neither were defects. And you wanted to show him that, so you tugged one of his hands from you and placed it against your hip. You kept his fingers in a specific spot and made him feel the divots in your skin.

“Okay,” he said in a low tone. “If I’m _absolutely gorgeous_ , then you are too. These only make that more clear to me than it already was.” This time, he lifted the hand from your thigh to bring your lips back to his, leaving his other hand on your side. It tickled as he ran his fingers along your stretch marks, but he didn’t let your mouth go to laugh, so the sound was absorbed between you.

Your hands went around his neck, and as quick as he could, he turned you over so you were under him on your back. He didn’t even pull away from the kiss until he made himself comfortable over you.

Even as it was happening, you could feel how this was different than the last time. Before it was all fun and light and kind of quick. Not in a disappointing way - could Thor ever disappoint? - but just in the unplanned, somewhat rushed way that things sometimes happened. This was intimate and slower. Intentional. You both took your time to feel and appreciate, to breathe in and consider your next move before you made it. And it all felt so damn right.

Once more, his kisses trailed from your lips to your neck and then further. He slowly made his way to the tops of your breasts, which were nearly spilling from your bra cups. He said nothing of that, though, just went to work kissing and licking the stretch marks there like they were made of the same lightning you always saw in his eyes. His hands came up and under you, and you arched your back so he could get to the clasp of your bra, which also happened to push your breasts closer to his face. He sighed against you, and goosebumps rose all over.

He had the clasp undone in a matter of seconds, then he pulled the garment down and off. You would’ve brought your arms in to cover your chest, but his head was in the way as he continued placing little love bites and kisses all over you. So instead, your hands went to his hair, eliciting a small groan from him as you massaged his scalp.

“You’re so soft, Honey,” he said, half of his jaw still against you, his voice smooth as silk.

He’d never called you that before, but you immediately decided you liked the way it sent a little shot of heat up your spine. You wanted to hear him say it over and over again, so you kept playing with his short hairs, occasionally scraping your nails gently over his scalp.

His lips moved around one of your nipples, and on impact, you let out a small moan and gripped his hair harder. His tongue swirled around the nub as it hardened, and when he was satisfied, he moved to the other one. Before long, you were a squirming mess below him, and all he’d done was attach himself to your chest.

Then he moved lower, taking the time to kiss nearly every inch of your ribs and tummy, smiling against you whenever you laughed because his beard tickled. He licked a circle around your belly button, then kissed a wider circle around that. Heat pooled between your legs and you gasped.

“Absolutely gorgeous,” he repeated, like he’d been saying it all along. The heat in you only got hotter, the need to feel him all over more urgent. “And so _sweet_.”

“Thor,” you called softly, wiggling in his grasp. “Please.”

He pushed up so that he leaned over you and, with a serious glint in his eyes, he asked, “You’re sure about this? You definitely want this?”

You nodded, no hesitation this time. “Yes. Of course.” As if it was plain as day.

Slowly - agonizingly so - he pulled on the band of your panties, kissing the skin he exposed as he brought the fabric down. He only broke his lips away to throw the panties off the end of the bed, and then you were completely bare before him. He looked at you as he kissed around your core - all over your thighs and pelvis. You bit your lip and sucked in little harsh breaths whenever he got close to your heat, and then he sat back a bit and took the whole picture of you in.

Under his watchful gaze, you felt open and exposed, but you reminded yourself of all the things that had led you to this. His smile and the soft grazing of his fingers along your upper thighs had you believing that he truly saw you as _absolutely gorgeous, sweet as honey_.

You could feel his breath on the most sensitive parts of you now, and you were glad you were biting your bottom lip. You would’ve cried out otherwise, at the exact moment that his tongue made contact with your folds. His hands moved around your thighs to hold them open and his lips closed around your heat. He pushed pangs of pleasure up into your center with his tongue, and your hands went to his hair again. He played with your sensitive skin as your moans became louder, your breathing more infrequent and inconsistent, your muscles tightening little by little.

But a few minutes later, he stopped and pulled back to give you the most devilish grin you’d seen on him yet. You shivered when he repeated, “You taste so sweet,” and then breathed hard when he moved over you. You thought he meant to come down and kiss you, but he didn’t; he turned over and lay on his back, then motioned for you to turn over with him. You pushed yourself up onto one elbow and gave him a quizzical look. He persisted with his gesturing and said, “If you want me to finish, follow my lead.”

You bit your lip again, but still sat up further and threw one leg over his abs. Your palms went against his chest until he waved you forward. You scooted up, but not far enough apparently. He kept waving, but you stopped and shook your head. Thor paused, his hands resting on the tops of your thighs.

“What’s wrong?” he asked he asked you again.

“I can’t-” you started, but you also couldn’t force yourself to say you were nervous about sitting on his face. Even thinking it felt…weird, to say the least. You shook your head again.

“We don’t have to if you don’t want to,” he said, rubbing circles with his thumbs into your legs.

“It’s not that,” you whispered, and suddenly the heat in you turned from pleasurable to embarrassed. You tore your eyes from his and looked at his sculpted torso, pressing your locked elbows into your chest to hide behind them.

“Hey,” he said softly, moving one of his hands to grip yours. “I can’t read your mind. I can’t help if you don’t tell me what’s going on.”

You didn’t know how you’d forced yourself to feel so ashamed in a matter of minutes. Thor hadn’t done or said anything to make you feel that way, and yet, you couldn’t fight the emotion off. “I…just.” You sighed and shut your eyes to keep from rolling them. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

He was silent at that. He pulled your hand in his from his chest to his lips and kissed your knuckles a few at a time. “You won’t,” he said. “And if it really bothers you, we don’t have to-”

“No,” you said, though you didn’t know what else to say. You’d never felt so conflicted before - he was seriously hot and doing such a good job at turning you on while letting you know that he _wanted_ to, but you still felt like you were reaching too far out of your league, or that you might hurt him and he’d resent you for it.

But he thought you were _absolutely gorgeous. Soft and sweet._ So you sighed, because you knew what you wanted. “I want to. Just… Tell me if you need me to back up or something.”

He kissed your palm, nodded, and locked his hands behind your knees. He tugged, and you followed his lead until you were kneeling above his mouth. This time, he kept his eyes on yours as he dove in once again, lightning in his pupils turning the heat in you back to pleasure.

He sucked and licked tenderly, taking his time with every inch of you. You quickly forgot the shame. Anxiety and nervousness turned into blissful tension, aided by his hands gently massaging your thighs around him. Your moans grew in volume as he flattened his tongue and pressed into your clit, and then again when he moaned into you, the sound vibrating and stimulating your nerves. Your hips moved against his face as you neared your climax, and his fingers kneaded the meat of your bum, pulling you closer to him. You tugged on his hair as the tension in your core grew - then snapped, and wave after wave of pleasure rolled through your body. Thor didn’t pull away until you’d stilled above him, laughing softly at the euphoria you felt the whole time.

One thought coursed through your brain: _He wants this. He wants me._

When he was ready, he maneuvered you both so you were on your back once more. He lowered himself against you until your bodies were chest-to-chest, then he kissed you deeply, his tongue spreading the taste of you all over your mouth. Your hands went to the band of his briefs, pushing them down as far as you could. He took care of them from there, throwing them to the floor. His hard length fell against your leg, and you bit your lip to keep in another gasp.

Then he leaned over the edge of the bed and messed around with something on the floor. A moment later, you saw the little silver packet between his fingers.

You rose your brows and asked, “Were you expecting to get some action on this trip, Mr. Odinson?” as a smirk formed on your lips. You didn’t have to mention that you…kind of had been expecting that very thing, so you kept it to yourself.

Thor laughed and shook his head. “First, Mr. Odinson was my father. Second, I was…hopeful, more like,” he said, pulling the packet apart with ease.

As he fiddled with the rubber, you joked, “I guess I can’t fault you for that,” which garnered a chuckle from you both.

When he’d finished wrapping himself, he went back to teasing. His hands returned to your legs, slowly climbing up to your knees before he pushed your shins up and back. You watched him carefully, your playful smile falling as you concentrated. He placed kisses on your tummy again, this time trailing up between your breasts to your neck, jaw, and lips. He brought your legs back with him, pressing gently so that you weren’t uncomfortable. Your hands went to his cheeks, keeping him against you even as you felt his tip poke at your entrance.

He pulled back enough to ask, “Ready?” His pupils were huge, and you assumed yours were, too.

You nodded, and for once, you felt really confident in your answer. He’d taken every measure to make sure you were comfortable, open, and content. It no longer mattered what your body looked like under or above his, just that it was your turn to shower him in adoration and pleasure.

He kissed you again before pressing in slowly. He took his time going, massaging whatever skin he had under his fingers to ease the tension he must’ve been anticipating. You bit his bottom lip when he bottomed out, feeling his hot breath against your face when he moaned.

He pulled out just as slowly, dragging along your walls until just the tip was left inside. He slid his tongue in your mouth, breaking your hold on his lip, and pushed back in, quicker this time without going too fast. Any pain you felt from stretching to fit him receded, making way for those pangs of pleasure again as he continued at his lazy, comfortable pace. It was nice, but you wanted more.

You pushed his lips from yours and quietly whined, “Faster!”

The only reason he didn’t immediately oblige was because he took the time to bring your ankles over his shoulders, one at a time. The second he adjusted, he slammed his hips into yours, reaching deeper than he had before. Your back arched up from the bed, and you let out the loudest moan you’d given yet. You couldn’t figure out how you were bending the way you were, but you didn’t have the attention to question it.

His hands slid down your sides to your hips, where he gripped tight and anchored himself. Thor pressed in faster, deeper, and harder as you yelled his name. Your knuckles turned white around his shoulders as you held onto him. Every thrust into you felt like lightning; hot streaks of energy burst from your core, traveling quickly all over, forcing yelps and moans from you and provocative, short grunts from Thor. He somehow managed to concentrate enough to catch one of your nipples between his teeth, biting hard as your body rocked against his. Sharp pain and ecstatic pleasure mixed, pushing you closer and closer to the edge every second.

“Fuck I’m so close,” you whispered, every muscle in your body alight with tension. Thor brought his kiss back to your lips, capturing each moan and yelp from you until finally, you reached your peak. His hips met yours harder than before, and your walls clenched around him as he continued to pound into you - though that didn’t last much longer. He came soon after, filling the condom as he bit your lip rather hard, though not hard enough to bother you.

And as you both came down, he did the same thing he’d done to work you up; he peppered fresh little kisses all over you, even though you were covered a light sheen of sweat. He didn’t even let up when you laughed because his beard tickled your skin. He distracted you from pulling himself out with an intentional swipe of his chin across your belly button, but then he left a kiss by one of your knees and hopped off the bed. You caught your breath as he went into the bathroom, then moved up along the bed to get under the blanket.

It didn’t matter that you’d already done it before. You could only marginally believe that you’d just slept with Thor. Gorgeous, kind, observant and caring Thor. He wanted you. He listened to his friends when they told him you were good for him. And for once, instead of thinking of all the ways this _too perfect_ relationship could come crashing down around you, you enjoyed the feeling of being satisfied.

You managed to get off the bed long enough to grab your phone from your purse before you got comfy among the pillows, smiling to yourself because this unbelievable man made it clear _himself_ that he adored you. You were still smiling when he came out of the bathroom and got in bed, immediately pressing his body against your backside, his arms wasting no time in wrapping around your middle.

“So,” you started, as his lips found purchase along your neck, “I have something to show you.” You picked your phone up, unlocked it, and went to your pictures as he mumbled something so you knew he was listening. You clicked on the right picture, then nudged him softly with your elbow. You knew he’d lifted his gaze to the phone when you felt his beard scrape against your shoulder.

“Hey,” he said as he looked at the portrait of his eyes you’d been working on for almost as long as you’d known him. “You finished!” His arms got tighter around you as he pulled you closer, and you bit your lip as you nodded.

“Last week, actually,” you told him. “I meant to show you earlier but this trip happened so quickly and I was…a little nervous.”

He lifted one arm from you to grip your phone, pulling it from your hand so he could see the picture closer. He was quiet for a minute, then he hummed and kissed your skin again. “I love it, (Y/N),” he said, and you felt him smile against your skin.

“Good. I’m glad. Because I was really hoping you’d want to put it up in your stairwell,” you said, taking your phone back. You put it on the bedside table, then turned to face him, pressing your chests together as you put your arms around his neck.

“It’s not too narcissistic?” he asked, a playful smirk returning to his features.

You shook your head, and he leaned forward and kissed you. You could almost taste the sentiment and emotion he felt. And you let yourself enjoy it.

When he pulled back he said, “Then I think I can make some room. But…shouldn’t I pay for it or something? Because I want to support your passion and-”

You shook your head. “I’m pretty sure _that_ is nepotism.”

He sighed, even though you giggled. “But you deserve to be paid for your work.”

“I take commissions,” you said, still surprising yourself at the calm attitude you had talking about this. It just wasn’t something you normally discussed in person, especially not with any boyfriend you’d had before. But with Thor, you were comfortable. Clearly.

“Right,” he said. Then his smile widened and he continued: “I’ll have to take a number and get in line, I suppose.”


	8. Show Me Good Lovin'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Getting back into the habit of everyday life is so much easier because of Thor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Playlist can be found [here!](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3LH4wkpZCGGjuXMLmIoozA)
> 
> Sorry this took forever to update! I got a little busy there for a bit!

The flight back to Los Angeles landed far too early in the morning, and because you’d only spent a few days in Europe, your body really had no concept of time. You were sore and a little swollen, just like you had been when you’d landed in Sweden. Mostly, though, you dreaded the thought of going all the way back to Malibu, then still having to drive from Thor’s house to Uncle Phil’s. Thor was two steps ahead of you, insisting that you stay with him and nap in an actual bed before attempting to get anything done with the rest of the day - your last day off until the following weekend.

There was a commotion that held up the procession off the plane. From the end of the gangway, you could see a group huddled around the entrance into the terminal, but you assumed it was someone’s family. You were surprised when Thor handed you a baseball cap and held your hand tight, but you didn’t question him. You put the cap on, and the second you made it into the terminal, camera flashes went berserk, blinding you from seeing more than a few inches in front of you.

“What the hell?” you muttered, keeping your body close to Thor’s.

“I guess someone told them I was coming home,” he said, angling his face so he could speak in a low voice - as low as he could get with the people all around him (and you) yelling out. “Wouldn’t be surprised if it was my brother.”

You scrunched your face at that. Hilde’s preference for you rang in your head for a second. You decided to tuck away anything about Loki, at least until you made it out of the airport.

“Are you, like, some kind of celebrity or something?” you asked, since you’d never been followed like this with him. You could hear the cameramen shouting out, asking for your name and how you knew one another, where you’d been before returning to California. Thor ignored them all, so you did, too.

He pulled you along, walking faster than he normally did. “Or something,” he joked, now unafraid to smile, even with the continuous flashes and yelling.

You stayed close to him as you made your way down to baggage claim. The cameras dispersed and thinned out - someone more famous was probably landing anyway - so you didn’t feel like you had to keep hiding. You removed the cap, but held onto it. “So,” you said, “why do the paparazzi feel the need to follow you around an airport?”

He shrugged. “Normally, they don’t,” he said. “Unless _someone_ tips them off.”

Before you knew what you were asking, you let out, “Why would your brother do that?” But immediately after, your eyes widened and you went to cover your mouth, at least until Thor shrugged.

“I guess it’s just his way of letting me know he’s alive.”

You knew it was far too nonchalant an answer, and you wondered if something like this had happened before. But you didn’t dare ask, and Thor kept his eyes on the baggage carousel.

He caught both of your bags before they rounded to the other side, then you followed him outside, keeping the hat between your hands just in case another ambush came. Thor hailed a cab, loaded the bags into the trunk, then slid in next to you. You turned your phone on for the first time in 14 hours, then texted Daisy and Aunt Melinda to let them know you’d landed safely and were heading back to Thor’s house. _See you for dinner <3_ you wrote, knowing neither of them would see the texts for a few hours.

//

Thor was picking Fenrir up later in the day, so the house was too quiet, too static. The only thing moving were little dust particles in the early rays of sun coming in through the front windows. It was almost unsettling, but you decided you didn’t care; you had a few more hours to have Thor to yourself, and you weren’t going to let them go to waste.

You both went upstairs, leaving your suitcases by the door. You thought you were getting straight into bed, which you were totally fine with, but Thor seemed to have other ideas.

“We were on that plane for so long,” Thor said, halfway to his bathroom. “I don’t know ‘bout you, but I’m all gross and greasy.” He scrunched his face all cute and playful, and nodded in the direction he’d been headed.

You bit your lip. You could hardly believe it, but even after everything that had happened in Sweden, you were still apprehensive about being naked around Thor. But the problem wasn’t really him, and it wasn’t _really_ you, either.

You’d gone through most of your life thinking your body wasn’t enough, that people wouldn’t like you because of it. It didn’t matter that Daisy spent most of her life telling you otherwise when everything else around you reminded you of the fat and the jiggling and the stretch marks.

But then you shook yourself out of your head and pushed those feelings away. Thor had done nothing but appreciate - dare you say even _worship_ \- your body. Every single part of you lit up under his touch. By his invitation and the silly glint in his eye, you knew he _wanted_ to see you naked as much as you wanted to see him.

So you moved past him with a coy smile, pulling your sweater off before you made it to the doorway into the bathroom. Thor chuckled behind you, jogging to catch up as you turned the light on to find a sizable corner shower opposite a huge jacuzzi-tub. You hadn’t been in his bathroom so early in the morning before, but suddenly the possibilities were _endless_ \- a thought that made you smirk even wider as you went across the room and tried to figure out how to fill the tub. A bath sounded much more indulgent and luxurious than standing against the tile and glass of the shower.

You got the water running while Thor dug around his cabinets for appropriate bubble bath solution. He’d taken his shirt off already, so when you looked back at him, you got a rather nice show as his muscles flexed. You giggled before saying, “I’m gonna have to take you to Lush, Babe. A tub like this _deserves_ to be filled with bath bombs.”

He flashed you a quick smile and a wink, and you nearly melted. When the water and bubbles were ready, you slipped out of your clothes and into the tub, moaning softly as the hot water eased some of the tension in your legs from sitting on the plane. Thor followed soon, picking up a small silver remote from around the rim of the tub. You watched him press a button, and seconds later, jacuzzi jets brought the water to life.

“You know,” you said, “sometimes I forget you’re as loaded as you are. Then I get in your fancy-ass bathtub and realize it’s actually an indoor jacuzzi in your bathroom, and I’m reminded that you’ve got more money than God.”

He put the remote down, shook his head, and pulled you right up to his side. “I do not,” he says between chuckles. “I only afford myself a few luxuries.”

“Right,” you scoffed playfully. “Like an expensive weekend getaway to Europe.”

“That was for a friend’s wedding!” He pinched your side and laughed as you jumped, and in retaliation you flicked his arm above the water. “And don’t pretend like you didn’t have a good time, too.”

You sighed contentedly and nodded. “You’re right. I did. Thank you, again,” you said, though you weren’t sure when you’d last thanked him for taking you to the wedding. It felt like it’d been longer than a few weeks since he’d even brought the trip up. But when he kissed you, you didn’t care. He was gentle and wonderful, and that mattered more than time.

You’d never really understood people when they’d said _When you know, you know_. But with Thor’s body against yours, and with the memories of everything that had happened over the last few days, you thought maybe you got it. Maybe you did know, but just needed a little time to process _what_ you knew.

He pulled away first, clearing his throat as he sat back. You both went to say something at the same time, so Thor conceded and allowed you - or rather insisted - you go before him.

“I was just gonna say that you have this huge tub that should only exist in dreams, but you insist on sitting right up against me,” you told him, still teasing. Mostly. Because the tub was huge - you could easily fit four or five more people in it and just barely have to touch anyone. But Thor had pulled you right up against him and wasn’t about to let you go. The thought made your heart pound pleasantly.

He shrugged. “I like being close to you,” he said like it was nothing. Like it _didn’t_ have more meaning than being physically close. You’d think he meant it only literally if he wasn’t suddenly pressing his nose against yours.

“You know,” you said in a low voice now, “of all the things I expected out of you, being adorable was not one of them.”

“You’ve still got a lot to learn then.” You felt more than saw him smirk, his beard dragging across your chin.

“Oh yeah? Like what?” you asked, bringing a hand up to his cheek so he’d stay right where he was.

He gave a low hum and said, “Like I’m very handsy. And PDA? Huge fan. Especially at fancy events.” His eyebrows wiggled, and you couldn’t help but continue smiling at him because, really, this was the cutest you’d ever seen any of your partners - past or present. Not a single person before Thor had told you - or, for extra measure, shown you - that they wanted to be seen touching you. The older you got, the more you realized that fatphobia was a real thing, and that it made people uncomfortable even if they didn’t recognize it.

But not Thor.

“You mean like the wedding?” you asked, recalling dancing with him and his friends. But mostly him, with his light, pleasant little kisses, his warm hands on your waist and hips. His eyes only on you and yours.

He nodded. “Yup,” he said, his lips popping against yours on the final consonant. “And…at an upcoming event, if you’d like to go. Although I do have an idea I’d like to run by you for it first.”

“What kind of event is it this time?” you asked, moving your hand from his cheek to over his shoulder. Your fingers hung limply, mindlessly tracing circles into his skin.

“The Annual Stark Industries Silent Auction Art Show.”

You knew the event well. You’d gone with Daisy before as part of Uncle Phil’s party, especially when he couldn’t make it a few years back. It was a black tie event - as most of Tony Stark’s events were - and you always dreamed of meeting your favorite artists there, but you always seemed to miss them somehow. Still, the thought of going with Thor made you warm all over.

“And I was hoping, if I commissioned a piece from you, that we might… I dunno.” His face fell a bit, like he wasn’t sure about what he wanted to say.

You tilted your head to get a better look at him and asked, “We might what?”

He looked at you silently for a minute, then said, “That we might submit it to the auction together.”

You immediately liked the idea. You knew the silent auction usually made a lot of money - Stark Industries was one of the most charitable companies in the world. And an art show? It was kind of perfect - the best opportunity to get your art out into the world, to be seen by _Tony Fucking Stark_ and maybe even Steve Rogers.

Except…there was one thing holding you back.

“I’m not good enough to get into that show,” you said, shaking your head before you looked away from Thor. Something about that kind of realization made it hard to keep eye contact.

“Of course you are,” he said, trying to follow your dropped gaze. “I wouldn’t have suggested it if I didn’t think so.”

But you still disagreed. It was easy to continue to disagree if you didn’t look at him, so you focused on the rim of the tub and thought about the art you’d seen at the show before. People like Steve Rogers, with his gorgeous portraits and landscapes and occasionally even a blown up comic strip, submitted to the art show. People with talent and fans and a following - not aspiring artists who lived with their aunt and uncle and could only work on commissions on weekends. Not people with real full time jobs. It didn’t hurt that the gallery you worked in refused to take any of your pieces for display, but not for lack of you trying.

You stayed quiet for too long, apparently, because Thor caught your attention with, “We’ve got a little while to think about it, if you want. But I know you’d get in if you submitted.”

“Yeah, because you’re probably friends with Stark, right?” you asked, trying hard not to sound angry or accusatory. But you knew your words had a bite to them anyway.

“So what if I am?” he asked. “The submission doesn’t have to have anything to do with me. It’s not about me at all.” He reached forward and pushed hair away from your face. It only stayed back because the water adhered it to the back of your shoulder. He sighed and said, “Look, you don’t have to if you don’t want to. The important thing is that I’d like you to go with me. I just thought it’d be nice to see your art hanging in Stark’s gallery for charity.”

It _did_ sound nice. You just weren’t sure it was realistic. You peeked at him without turning back fully, and for a split second, you believed him. He looked at you so sincerely, so seriously, that you believed you were up to par with people like Steve Rogers and, to a lesser extent, noted photographer Maya Hansen.

“Do you know when the deadline for submissions is?” you asked, pushing around the water in front of you just to create some background noise.

“Not for a bit,” he said, relaxing once again. “I know you’d need time to get something ready.”

In a move that surprised you both, you reached for the back of his neck, pulling Thor to you until your foreheads rested against one another. “Thank you for believing in me,” you whispered. You chose your words carefully, filling the silence with a long, slow kiss. “I don’t really know what I did right to deserve you, but I’m glad I did it.”

He smiled and, instead of responding with words, just pushed his lips onto yours again. He suddenly had a hand on your back, pulling you as close to him as he could get you. Your heart sped up and you were sure he could feel your pulse, but you didn’t mind.

You pulled back when you needed to breathe. As you calmed, you said, “So tell me about this idea you have.”

//

Over the next couple of weeks, you practically moved in to Thor’s house. You hadn’t meant to, but he didn’t mind. He did that thing where he made space for you in his dresser and even a little bit in his closet, but you tried not to take advantage of it. You brought your easel, paints, and canvases over and set up in his small workout room. He had a corner without anything in it that looked out onto the street through a single, long window, which was perfect for working over the weekends.

At some point, he tried to convince you to quit your job at the gallery. Not because he wanted you around all the time - although he made the caveat that he did, in fact, want you around more - but so that you could focus on your own art. If your employers and the curators you worked with didn’t believe in your talent, at least he did.

But you told him that wasn’t possible. You had loans and bills and other financial issues to deal with that you weren’t about to let him take responsibility for. You needed to keep working, even as you painted more.

Fenrir loved having you around. He normally wouldn’t go upstairs and hadn’t ever been in the workout room until you set up shop, but once you had, he took to sleeping at your feet while you painted and Thor used his various machines and weights.

You fell into a comfortable pattern. You’d go to work early during the week so you could leave a little early, then you’d stop by the market to pick up food to cook for the night. Thor tried to make dinner again a few times, and each time he burnt some part or all of the meal - there was no wonder in your mind why he’d failed out of Culinary school, but at least he was trying. Most nights, either you made something simple before he made it home or he’d get home first and take you out for something nice.

Every few days, you’d go back to Uncle Phil’s to see Daisy and change out a few pieces of clothing, but for all intents and purposes, you weren’t living with Thor. The only time you ever felt guilty about the situation was when you realized you weren’t paying rent in either house, but no one said anything about it.

The new piece you were working on was intricate, and from the start, you knew it meant a lot to Thor. He had to pull the subject out of storage to show it to you, but then he moved it into your corner of the workout room to study and reference as you went.

It was a giant hammer in an odd shape, made of metal that felt too heavy to lift and looked too old to not be decaying, but he assured you “storage” meant being held in a secure vault except on special occasions.

“I still maintain I could’ve taken a few pictures of it and been just fine,” you said as you painted one day, looking closely at the shadows you were attempting to perfect.

“Who said I took it out just for your sake?” he asked, his tone completely light and teasing. He even laughed to emphasize his joke. “Mjölnir needed a few weeks out of that dusty room it’s kept in. Even hammers need to breathe sometimes.”

You rose your brows at him, turning to glare over your shoulder. “Yeah but this thing’s, like, a fossil,” you said. “If Fenrir gets too close, it might blow away in the wind.”

He lifted out of a lunge and put his hands on his hips, standing in an exaggerated stance. “Well don’t go jinxing it!” He shook his head and laughed again, then came across the room to you.

You looked back at the canvas and continued to add detail, breathing lightly as the brush lifted and pressed and lifted again. The whole thing was a bit bigger than you normally painted, so you hand to sketch out the dimensions a few times before you were happy with it. But by now, you were adding detail and depth, bringing the various images in the hammer to light.

Thor put his chin on your shoulder and turned his face to plant little kisses along your neck. You pulled the brush from the canvas to keep from streaking anything, then laughed and whined simultaneously.

“You’re all sweaty!” you complained. “And I’m working!” But you didn’t resist as he put his arms around you, his chest pressed against your back.

He ceased his attack on your skin and looked at your work, squeezing gently in what you hoped was approval. “My father used to tell us stories about this hammer. He’d tell us it was gifted to an old God as a symbol of power and protection. We ended up with it because our family is, supposedly, distant descendants of that God.”

You tried turning to look at him, but he was too close and unmovable for it to be comfortable. But you didn’t turn back. “Are you now?” you asked, your lips just grazing the prickles of his beard. You’d gotten used to the way the short hairs felt against your skin, quickly realizing that you rather liked the shivers and slight burn he left in his wake.

“Maybe,” he said back. “I never counted it out.” He took a minute, looking over the canvas in a calm quiet that not even Fenrir broke. Then he said, “This is amazing, Honey.”

“It’s not done,” you said, once again looking at the work you’d already done, comparing it to the image in your head, with shadows and highlights and touch-ups all done.

“I know.” Another moment of quiet, and then he stood up and removed his arms from you. “Can’t wait to see how it does at the auction.” He put a hand on your shoulder where his chin had just been, squeezed just tight enough to not be uncomfortable, then went around you to where Fenrir was laying. “Wanna go out?” he asked.

Fenrir stood immediately and turned in a circle. Thor laughed lightly, then bent to kiss your cheek before you’d started to paint again.

“Be back soon,” he said.

You nodded and dipped your brush into more paint as your boys headed downstairs.

//

Late in the afternoon, you took a break from painting and invited Daisy over. She was clad in a bikini, shorts, and a wide brimmed hat, and she had one of your [bathing suits](https://hottopic.scene7.com/is/image/HotTopic/10846291_hi?%24pdp_hero_zoom%24) in a bag that she handed to you before Fenrir came to the door. You left her downstairs with Thor and Fenrir while you went to get changed.

On your way out the backdoor down to Thor’s private part of the beach behind the neighborhood, he told you he’d text when he went to order dinner.

“I feel like it’s been a year since I’ve really seen you, (Y/N),” Daisy said as she laid out on her towel.

You picked up your bottle of tanning lotion and got to rubbing it into your legs, arms, and chest as you nodded. “I’m sorry I haven’t been around lately,” you said with a frown.

“Hey, I’m not blaming you or anything,” she said, taking the bottle too. “His house is smaller than I imagined though.”

You shrugged at that. “He’s something of a minimalist, I guess.”

Daisy looked over her shoulder at the house on its perch above the beach. “I can see that,” she said, and when she looked at you again, she was smiling. “I can also see how you’d be into that.”

You slowed your motions and asked, “What?”

She held the bottle out to you and turned to face away from you, pulling her hair over one shoulder. You took the lotion, and like you’d been doing since you were kids, you helped cover her back.

“I just mean that, like…” She sighed and took a second. You knew that meant she was choosing her words carefully, so you waited patiently. “Dude’s loaded. Anyone else in his position lives two streets over in mansions. He could, if he wanted to.” She turned her head back toward you, her hat shading her face. “But he doesn’t. He lives in a two bedroom house without a garage.”

You hadn’t thought of it that way until then, but as she spoke, you knew Daisy was right. “He did pay for me to go to Europe with him. First class,” you tried. You finished swiping the lotion across her lower back, then shut the bottle and held it over her shoulder for her to grip. When she did, you turned, pulled your hair over your shoulder, and the whole system repeated.

“You know that’s not the same. Like, yeah, he has to have _some_ money to afford that, but he doesn’t flaunt it, you know?”

You did. Maybe Thor liked fancy restaurants and living on the beach. But he drove a Range Rover, not a luxury sports car. He didn’t have a lot of space in his house compared to his neighbors, and he didn’t need it. His brother slept on an air mattress in the office when he was around - which you guessed wasn’t often, since you still hadn’t met him yet.

“Yeah,” you finally said back, unsure if you were pleased with the notion that Daisy thought you liked Thor because of his humility. Sure, that had something to do with it. Maybe it was a big part of why you liked him. But the image of himself he put out into the world wasn’t what kept you around anymore. “I mean, he’s kind of a showoff if he’s earned something I guess.”

You were thinking of the fact that he kept the portrait you’d painted of his eyes on the wall of his stairwell, facing the living room. He knew that anyone that sat on his couch would be able to see it and ask about it. He wanted that. He was proud of how it’d turned out, and he was proud of you, and he wanted everyone to know it.

But Daisy didn’t know that. She didn’t ask to go into it, either, but she did lean closer and, in a giddy tone, asked you, “So you guys are totally boning, right?”

You scoffed and tried to push her off, which wasn’t easy now that you were both covered in tanning lotion. “You’re so crude sometimes,” you jabbed at her, laughing immediately after.

“I’m taking that as a yes because I know you,” she said, pulling her sunglasses down far enough for you to see her wink.

Even though you felt a little called out, you still laughed more. She was right - she knew you. But you knew her just as well, so you’d expected this conversation from her. You just liked to watch her squirm a bit before you answered, so you sighed and made yourself comfortable on your towel first.

“You do,” you said.

“So?” she asked, laying on her side, an elbow supporting her weight as she continued staring at you. “How is he?”

There was no escaping telling her. Daisy was used to getting what she wanted, and you figured this information wasn’t going to harm anyone if you told her. You didn’t think Thor would mind.

“Way better than I was expecting, for sure,” you said. You shut your eyes because first, the sun was positioned low enough to make looking over at Daisy impossible; and second, you didn’t really need to see her reaction to know she’d prod you for more.

“How?!” she asked a little too loudly. You were grateful the beach was private.

“You know how you kept telling me he doesn’t play games with people?” you asked her. You gave her a second, knowing she nodded more by the light shifting behind your eyelids than any other indicator. “You were right. He’s…” You bit your lip and tried not to let your mind stray back too far to that night - or any of the other nights you’d spent in similar throes of intimacy. “Generous. And not at all intimidated by the thunder thighs.”

Daisy laughed, and through it she told you, “You know, I think I heard him tell someone once he _liked_ that term.”

You shrugged. “Not surprised. Anymore, at least.” You waited as you heard Daisy shift, then felt the full heat of the sun on your face. She’d laid down, and when you felt her shoulder against yours, you knew you could continue. “I don’t wanna get sappy or anything but…”

“No, now you have to get sappy and tell me,” she said, pushing you gently.

You smiled and couldn’t stop. “He’s really good to me, D. He doesn’t make me feel like I should be grateful he likes me because I’m fat. Like, every guy I’ve dated before has always made it a big deal that I can’t fit in straight sizes. You know.”

“I do.”

“But Thor doesn’t. He doesn’t care.” You stewed with that for a second, because that wasn’t the whole truth. Maybe he didn’t care that you were fat and not thin, but there was more to it than that. “He doesn’t even make it seem like a it’s chore for him to make me feel good about myself.”

You were busy choking up silently while Daisy said, “Good. Because it shouldn’t be.” And you knew she had good intentions. To some extent, she was right - it _shouldn’t_ be a chore for someone that liked you to tell you they liked you because of who you were, not what you looked like or what size seemed to define you. But you knew most people had it ingrained in their brains to automatically hate fat people and fear being fat themselves.

Thor just…wasn’t one of them.

“I’m glad you’re happy,” Daisy said, reaching for your hand.

You squeezed her palm as close to yours as you could, because words weren’t going to come out in one string and you knew it.

“If he ever does anything to hurt you, I’ll kill him,” she said, squeezing back.

It was a while before either of you said anything again. You were lost in thoughts of you and Thor and _how good you were for one another_ , how both your families could see it. All the good feelings you could possibly feel took over - warmth despite the sun shining on you, tingles all over despite the sand, a lightness in your chest despite the weight of your breasts.

And then, after a while, you realized you hadn’t exactly caught up with Daisy. She’d asked you questions, but not the other way around, so you peeked at her to see she’d turned onto her stomach so her back could bask in the sun.

“Hey,” you called, and you waited for her to turn her head and open an eye at you. “How’s that thing with that guy… Grant, right?” you asked.

She groaned, then shrugged. “It’s…complicated.”

You elbowed her side softly. “What does that mean, D?”

More groaning. Childish, incessant, groaning at that. Her face scrunched up and everything. “I dunno,” she whined. “He’s in and out, I guess. It’s weird and kinda awkward sometimes and I don’t understand him.”

You turned onto your side and held the side of your face in your palm, your elbow digging into the towel beneath you. “What happened?” you asked. “And do I need to maim him?”

She groaned some more, covering her eyes with the heels of her palms. “I don’t even know! One minute, we’re having a ton of fun making jokes about you and Thor and then the next he’s totally M.I.A. and-”

“Wait,” you interrupted, “jokes about me and Thor? For what?”

Daisy rolled her eyes, though you barely saw from behind her sunglasses. “Remember when I made fun of you for the double date?” she asked.

You nodded skeptically.

“Yeah, well, it became a thing between me and Grant. It just…kinda made us feel better about the whole thing. Or at least I thought it did.”

For a second, you weren’t sure if you should apologize or ask for more specific details, so you just looked at her. Neither Thor nor yourself had meant to make things weird for Daisy or Grant. You’d genuinely thought a double date was a good idea at the time - and you still did, honestly. Though the more you thought about it, the more you realized that her chides and jokes were kind of justified.

You and Thor had been rather focused on each other that night. Daisy and Grant couldn’t even pretend to have their own conversation because you and Thor had been there the whole time. So no, you decided that you weren’t really upset or anything over the jokes, but you did wish you didn’t feel like your actions that night had somehow influenced Daisy’s relationship with Grant.

“Yeah, well, anyway maybe he wasn’t worth it to begin with,” she mumbled. “Maybe he’s not into me at all.”

You rose your brows at her. “If he’s not, he’s fucking stupid,” you muttered. “But if you’re not interested, that’s a different story.”

“But I kind of…really am interested. He’s my type, you know?” she asked.

And you nodded, because you knew that Grant was: the tall, dark-haired, mysteriously suave type was exactly how all of Daisy’s boyfriends had been in the past, to some extent. And, for the most part, all of her exes were douchebags, but you only ever said as much after the fact because Daisy liked them so much. Maybe you should’ve spoken up sooner, you thought.

“Talk to him,” you offered. “Tell him what you’re feeling, and if he doesn’t respond well, then you know he’s not right for you. And also that I’ll have to kill him, but you probably shouldn’t say that to his face.”

Another silence fell, but this one was contemplative. You could almost feel Daisy considering your suggestion, especially with how trained on you her eyes were. But after a minute or two, she dipped her head, sighed, and smiled at you.

“What?” you asked plainly.

She shook her head slowly. “Nothing. It’s just… Not too long ago, _I_ was the one giving _you_ relationship advice.”

The two of you looked at one another for another beat, then smiled at the same time and laughed together. It felt like nothing had changed at all - and, really, between you and Daisy, nothing had. She was still your cousin. Your sister (the closest thing you had to one, anyway). Even if the tables had turned, the two of you were still exactly what the other needed.


	9. I Can't Think About Anybody But You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's your night to shine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Playlist can be found [here!](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3LH4wkpZCGGjuXMLmIoozA)

When you finished the Mjölnir portrait, Thor immediately got to work on the auction submission form. You’d assumed you’d discuss the submission again when you were done, but he was enthusiastic and endearing, and so damn proud of you.

Truth be told, you were proud of the portrait too. No matter how you thought about it, you couldn’t think of a good reason _not_ to at least apply.

What was the worst Stark Industries could say? “Sorry, but we don’t want your piece in our charity show?” It wasn’t any different than rejections you’d gotten from the gallery in which you worked, and as long as Thor believed in you, you could live with that. He’d keep the painting if Stark didn’t want it.

But then, two weeks later, you’d stopped by the Coulson house to change out clothes. Daisy ambushed you in your room, babbling something unintelligible as she jumped onto your bed. She threw a white envelope at you, and within was your _acceptance_ letter. She, Uncle Phil, and Aunt Melinda were all proud of you, throwing congratulations at you as you headed out the door and went to tell Thor.

He was ecstatic, as you expected. He’d never been more proud of anyone for anything - or so he said - and it seemed like Fenrir hadn’t, either. Thor couldn’t keep his hands off of you when you told him you’d been accepted into the auction, and he spent the night reminding you over and over again of just how proud he was. The portrait was perfect to him. He couldn’t wait to see it hanging in a gallery, where hundreds of people would see it and someone was bound to bid on it and prove he was right about your talent.

You didn’t want to admit that you’d expected Thor to take care of your dress for the auction, but you had. Even so, you let him approach you about it, knowing it was the polite thing to do. He’d said he knew a few designers, but one in particular who was working with Danielle Brooks among other plus size models and actresses. He knew this designer would be perfect for designing your gown, so you gave Thor your measurements to send off, then waited patiently.

[When the dress came](https://i.pinimg.com/564x/7d/15/a4/7d15a44d4dc918c0abf3667360a70b95.jpg), your jaw hit the floor. The fabric was the purest shade of red you’d ever seen. The top was off the shoulder with a floral lace overlay, while the rest of the dress was fitted and smooth. It had a slit up one side of the front of the skirt that showcased most of your leg, and if you did say so yourself, it looked _amazing_ on your ass. You already had a pair of gold heels to go with it, and Daisy loaned you a pair of ridiculously long gold earrings as well as a gold choker to tie the look together.

By the time you’d finished your hair and makeup, you actually felt like a movie star. Even with the Spanx on beneath the dress. For once, you really felt like you belonged in Thor’s world. Not just _with_ him, alone in his bed or on his couch with Fenrir, but with his people. With his friends and the crowd he ran in. You certainly looked the part of a wealthy art donor, and you realized you kind of liked it.

Thor could’ve gone for a plain black tuxedo, but in his own words: “A black tux? At an art show? You can’t really believe I’m that basic, Honey.” And in truth, you didn’t believe he was.

But you weren’t expecting his patterned tuxedo, either. And not only was it a pattern, but it was an _art_ pattern. All shades of blues ran in messy lines with yellows, greens, light grays and white, swirling around his lapels and pant legs. On his back sat a huge dark, swirling object, with smaller buildings behind it, one of which was a church with a long, pointed spire. He was a walking Starry Night, and he rocked the look as well as he rocked every other look: Perfectly.

Thor had rented a towncar to take you the gallery, and when you arrived, you stepped directly onto a red carpet. It wasn’t quite as red as your dress, which made you smile when you noticed.

With your arm looped through Thor’s, you made your way down the carpet. Cameras flashed in every direction - of course they did; Tony Stark would be arriving soon. People shouted at you, even though they didn’t know your name. Some of them recognized Thor, so they called for him and asked him who you were. He ignored them all, except for a small, sly smile as he led you along the carpet, up a small set of stairs, and into the gallery.

“That was somehow not as bad as they were in the airport,” you said.

Thor nodded. “That’s because we expected them here.” He led the way to the bar across the room, but you let your eyes wander around to the different exhibits. You didn’t see your portrait as you went, but you knew it had to be around somewhere. You’d find it soon.

But first, drinks. You and Thor ordered them, then stayed close as you carried them around the gallery.

“I don’t know if I mentioned this earlier,” he said, close enough that you knew you were the only one meant to hear, “but you look stunning tonight. I almost can’t wait to get home to be the lucky guy who gets to take this fabulous dress off of you.”

You beamed and gripped his arm to get even closer before you told him, “Don’t get too cocky, babe, or I might not let you touch this dress.” You wiggled your brows so he knew you were playing, and he did it in return as well.

For a few minutes, you both drank and looked around the room. People filled in couples and groups, flocking to the bar and the art. You watched for Daisy and Aunt Melinda, but neither of them came through the doors yet.

“You see anyone you know?” you asked Thor.

He nodded and took a sip of his drink. “‘Course. See anyone you want to meet?”

There were…a lot of people you wanted to meet, actually. Artists and celebrities. Tony Stark was a bit of a stretch, given his importance at the event, but you wouldn’t count him out.

It was an odd feeling, knowing that you had access to all of this because you were there with Thor. You worried that he thought you were using him to get to someone like Steve Rogers, who was standing across the room looking at a piece you couldn’t see. But Thor had his calm, happy little smile on, like all was right in the world. You thought that maybe he _liked_ doing these things for you. That wasn’t so bad, you figured.

As if he could read your mind, Thor looked over toward where Steve Rogers was and nodded. “I believe you told me Steve’s your favorite,” he said.

You barely had enough time to nod back before he was moving again. Thor walked carefully between people as they filled the gallery, and you were so focused on keeping up that you didn’t even see the man beside Steve Rogers, nor did you recognize the art they were standing in front of. That is, until you were too close to turn around.

“Rogers!” Thor yelled, despite being only a few feet away.

Both men turned around, and you finally noticed the tall brunette with the piercing eyes. Both of them smiled at Thor, but Steve Rogers stepped up first.

“Thor!” he called, not quite as loudly. He was in a navy suit with a long tie that had little silver stars all over it. “Good to see you!”

Steve and Thor embraced, Thor’s arm slipping from yours as he did so. You wrung your hands and forced a smile so you didn’t look so alone. You were stunned into silence, anyway. They clapped one another on their backs, then released each other, and Thor turned to the brunette man.

“Always a pleasure to see you as well, Barnes,” he said.

The man, Barnes, nodded gently. His smile was demure, his voice quiet as he returned Thor’s greeting with, “Of course.”

Thor came back for you. You felt your eyes widen as you looked from him to the painting they’d been looking at to Steve Rogers to Barnes.

“Gentlemen,” Thor said, gripping your hand tight in his as he stepped forward again. “This is (Y/F/N) (Y/L/N).”

You watched Steve’s face drop a bit. He pointed over his shoulder and asked, “That (Y/F/N) (Y/L/N)?” Because the painting he’d been studying before Thor had interrupted was Mjölnir.

Thor beamed as he nodded. “The one and only.” He turned his face to yours, and you met his pride with a look of sheer overwhelmed horror. “One of the most talented artists I’ve ever seen.” He glanced quickly at Steve and said, “No offense,” under his breath.

Steve shook his head and held his hand out to you. “None taken whatsoever. It’s an honor to meet you, ma’am.”

You let out an embarrassing laugh as you took his hand and shook it. “Please, Mr. Rogers, the honor’s mine!” You couldn’t stop the words from coming out too enthusiastically. “You’re kind of my favorite artist ever, but it’s no big deal or anything.” You tried to playfully roll your eyes, and it must’ve gotten the point across because Steve Rogers chuckled as he stood straight once more.

“Well thank you,” he said, “but please. Mr. Rogers was a TV personality. Call me Steve.” He gestured to the brunette man beside him. “This is my husband, Bucky.”

Bucky nodded, but he kept his hands behind his back. You tried not to notice, or at least not to show that you noticed. You nodded back, and Steve stood taller and looked around the room.

“Sam is around here somewhere,” he said distantly.

“Probably bragging to Banner about last night,” Bucky mumbled.

Steve turned pink along his neck and shook his head. “Don’t be brash,” he told Bucky, who shrugged and stepped a bit closer to Steve. They were side-to-side before Steve put his hand in Bucky’s, which you the noticed was gloved.

“Anyway,” Steve said, without explaining who he’d been looking for. “I was just checking out your piece, (Y/N). It’s fantastic!”

You looked behind him, at the canvas you’d painted hanging along the wall. Mjölnir sat proudly, lit perfectly to accentuate the small details in its surface. You wondered where Steve’s piece hung, regretting that you hadn’t gone to find it first so you could politely reject his compliment with a compliment of your own for his piece. Mostly, though, you felt your skin heat up and you went to shake your head, but Thor pulled you as close as you could get to him before you could even look at the floor.

“She worked ridiculously hard on it,” he said. “And you should see this other portrait she did! Hands down my favorite piece ever.”

You nudged him gently with your elbow. “That doesn’t have anything to do with the fact that it’s of you?” you teased, biting your lip to hide your smirk as it formed.

He shrugged, still smiling. How he could be so calm, so happy like this so often, you didn’t know. But he looked at you like light shone from your eyes, and it made the heat in your chest deepen.

“So what if it is?” he asked. “It’s still the best portrait I’ve ever seen.”

You didn’t totally believe him, but you also didn’t say so. For once, you let the compliments wash over you, even as he pulled his phone from his pocket and scrolled through his pictures. Thor showed the portrait of his eyes to Steve and Bucky, who both agreed with Thor - that it was beautiful, the color was spot on, and the expression was just right.

“She started it the day after we met,” Thor said, like it was totally not embarrassing. Maybe it wasn’t, given the widening of his smile. “I had to have it when she finished.” He looked at you with adoration and contentment all over his face. You reached up and kissed him quickly, a silent way of thanking him for his praise and attention.

Bucky cleared his throat, so you pulled back and cleared yours too.

“Sorry,” you mumbled, but you weren’t at all. You were flattered, and you felt a little lighter than you had before. Thor removed his arm from yours, but soon placed it across your back to squeeze your hip. You returned the gesture.

Steve turned back to your portrait, and the rest of the group followed. You answered questions that Steve had about the composition - all while trying not to freak out that Steve Freaking Rogers was asking you about _your_ art, not the other way around. Bucky listened, staying close to Steve, only interjecting to make a joke or ask a question or two of his own. Thor essentially did the same, though he was louder and more present in the conversation throughout. Eventually, he and bucky went to get drinks, which left you alone with Steve.

You looked at your portrait, fidgeting as you thought of what to say to your favorite artist. He inspected your piece closely, which made you both nervous and excited.

“It means a lot that you like it,” you said quietly, looking at the intersection between Yggdrasil and the different Norse figures you’d copied from the actual Mjölnir. “Like, a few months ago, I could only wish that I’d be standing here with Steve Rogers, let alone that you’d like my work.”

He stood back and slowly turned to you, a soft smile on his face. “You know, I said the same thing to my favorite years ago, at my first show.”

“Guess it’s just who we are,” you said with a shrug.

Steve nodded, then tipped his head toward your canvas. “It’s genuinely breathtaking, (Y/N). I’ve only seen something that’s impressed Bucky so fast in my own studio, and I know for a fact that’s because we’re married.”

Once again, your neck and cheeks heated. But he’d brought Bucky up, and you suddenly had a few questions. You didn’t want to pry, but you were curious, and you didn’t know when you’d get the chance to know either of them again. So you shifted your weight onto the hip closest to Steve and said quietly, “He seems…very comfortable with you.”

It took him a second, but Steve nodded. “He’s not great with crowds, but he knows things like this are important to me. And I think, after seeing this,” he nodded to your piece again, “he doesn’t regret coming out at all.”

You bit your lip and looked at the floor. All of the compliments and the praise thrown at you - even so early into the night - was hard to swallow, though you tried. “Thank you. The both of you.”

“He wants to bid on it. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t interested too.”

You froze. Steve. Rogers. Wanted. Your. Art. In his home, presumably. In the name of chairty, to some extent.

“We were waiting for Sam to come over and put his two-cents in.”

“Sam?” you asked, mostly on impulse. Neither Steve nor Bucky had explained who Sam was, and neither had Thor.

Steve chuckled. “Right. You’re new.” He smiled wider, his eyes crinkling attractively. “Sam’s our partner. You can’t miss him around here, he’ll be the loudest person in a large group.”

You were still frozen, and despite your best efforts, you let a little confusion into your expression. Steve stood a little straighter, almost uncomfortably so now. It occurred to you that he and Bucky hadn’t clarified about Sam earlier because of your very reaction - they probably got it all the time, especially after the declaration that they were already married. So you forced yourself to relax, because their relationship was not only not your business, but it didn’t matter, either. Steve was your favorite artist either way.

“You think he’ll like it?” you asked.

A bit of Steve’s nervous energy melted at your question, and he nodded. “Most likely. He’s got a good eye.”

“Then what are you waiting for?” you asked, turning to the rest of the gallery. “You have to find him! Because if Steve Rogers goes home with my art in the name of charity? I _might_ be able to die happy.”

“I hope you’re not dying too soon,” you heard Thor say. He came up to you, two drinks in hand, and gave one to you before locking your lips with his. You didn’t let him keep them there for long, remembering Bucky’s reaction from the last time.

“Steve was just telling me he and Bucky want to bid on Mjölnir!” you said, your excited expression wide and frantic.

“Of course they do,” he said back, his eyes never leaving yours, despite his friends standing not too far away. “It’s amazing.”

You couldn’t do anything except bashfully sip your drink. Conversation continued around you, but you easily slipped into your thoughts.

You were finally being recognized as a talented, hard working artist. Your inspiration - the artist that you looked up to the most - not only liked your art, but wanted to display it proudly in his home.

But even better was Thor, right there beside you, talking you up and praising you like you were the star of the night. You felt even more comforted and wanted by him that night than you had in Sweden, especially since he didn’t have to pay your way into this show. You felt appreciated and proud, and it was all because he’d convinced you to submit your piece in the first place. And he did it all without making you feel small or like he was manipulating you. He did everything with compassion and ambition, and he was so gentle and kind.

Daisy had been right, all those weeks ago. You were lucky.

Thor took you around the room and introduced you to more people - Bruce Banner, a Stark scientist who invested in the Odinson corporation; Natasha Romanoff, an absolutely gorgeous redheaded woman who ran a security company (Stark and Thor were both clients of her detail, which included Clint Barton, who trailed closely to her at all times); and you finally made it around to meet Sam, a suave and teasing man who maybe winked too often, but was generally friendly and genuinely in love with Steve and Bucky.

He also happened to be one of Thor’s top realtors.

“You never mentioned him before!” you said, widening your eyes at Thor.

Sam shrugged. “Not surprised, really. A little hurt,” he said playfully, squinting at Thor, “but not surprised. Odinson here doesn’t like taking his work home with him.”

At least that made some sense. Still, you looked to Thor as he shrugged.

“My father did that, so I refuse to,” he said like it was nothing.

You rolled your eyes at him and looked at Sam to say, “Please tell me he set you up with Steve and Bucky.” You knew that Thor had been friends with Steve for a while - longer than he’d known you - and if he’d known Sam anywhere near as long, then your suggestion wasn’t outlandish.

And Sam’s pop of his lips, the ridiculously show-y look he was giving Thor, was confirmation enough.

“Oh my god,” you muttered, chuckling to yourself because _of course_. You turned back to Thor and gave him a fake smile, though you weren’t angry or anything. Just in a teasing mood. “You’ve had an excuse to introduce me to Steve this whole time and _you never said a damn thing about it?_ ”

He laughed, too, at the exaggerated look on your face. The rest of the group laughed with him, and when he pulled you closer to him, your face relaxed as you joined in. And for the second time that night, you had the feeling of really fitting in. You and Thor made sense together.

At some point, after your third or fourth drink, Daisy finally showed up. You didn’t notice at first, but when she got closer, you saw that Grant was trailing behind her. His face was a little bland - not smiling, not frowning, just…there - and you watched him apologize as he bumped into people around him.

“I saw your piece, (Y/N)!” Daisy said, throwing her arms around you. She smelled of booze, so you knew she was already a few drinks in too. “It’s awesome, oh my god!”

“Thanks, D,” you said, hugging her tight. Grant’s dark eyes stayed on you the whole time, but you tried to smile through the uncomfortable feeling you got.

 _Why uncomfortable?_ You thought. You knew Grant. But you also knew he’d been shady with Daisy before. The last you’d heard, Daisy was confused and you’d told her to talk to him about her feelings. Maybe that’d worked out well, you thought briefly, because his expression almost suggested otherwise.

When she pulled back from you, she went back over to Grant and wrapped her arms around one of his. He wore an entirely black suit and an almost forced smile now, even as he gripped Daisy’s hand in his free one.

Still, you could feel that something was off. You glanced at Steve and Bucky, who were still talking to Thor, and noticed that Bucky especially seemed stiff and awkward. Thor waved at Daisy, who waved back, but no one else acknowledged them.

“Always nice to see you, (Y/N),” Grant said, holding out his hand as if he barely remembered you.

You looked at Daisy, then back at Grant as you shook his hand. Neither of them added anything more.

“It’s…nice to see you too,” you said, semi-automatically reaching for Thor behind you. “Have you guys been here long?”

Daisy shrugged. “Just a little. Mom was taking forever to get ready, if you can believe it.” She giggled, and Grant smirked at her. “Anyway, We’re gonna head to a club later tonight. Wanted to know if you and Thor might wanna come too.”

You looked at Thor over your shoulder. He shrugged, but kept up his conversation.

“Uh,” you said when you turned back to Daisy. “Hard maybe on that, D. We’ll see how we feel when we get out of here, okay?”

Daisy nodded. “Of course! Good luck on the auction, babe,” she said. “Text me if you’re interested in going out. Love you!”

There was something off putting in how quickly she was talking, but you tried not to notice. Grant nodded at you and said, “Hope to see you soon, (Y/N).”

“You too,” you said, knowing full well you didn’t mean it. They moved quickly - too quickly, if you were to say so. You watched them until they disappeared by the bar, then slowly turned back to Thor.

Bucky was still stiff. His focused on anything but the conversation Steve and Thor were having, so you tried to get his attention without making a scene of it. You let go of Thor to step closer to him without getting too close - enough so that he could hear you whisper, but so that he wasn’t uncomfortable.

“Are you okay?” you asked him.

He nodded, but his smile didn’t return. “Yeah- just. Something about that guy. I don’t know. He seemed familiar, I guess.”

“Grant?” you asked.

Bucky nodded. “It’s probably nothing,” he said, looking off in the direction Grant and Daisy had gone.

“Actually,” you said, “I think I know how you feel.” You followed his gaze, even though you couldn’t see either of them anymore. There were too many people around, and they’d moved so quickly…

Steve called Bucky back to the conversation, but before he turned away from you he mumbled, “It’s probably nothing,” again.

From there on, you tried to focus on the new people, on the art, maybe even the possibility of meeting Tony Stark. Daisy and Grant faded into the back of your mind, as did her invitation to go dancing.

And you did meet Stark a little later, if briefly. He approached Thor, actually bent down to kiss your hand when you were introduced to him, made a few quick quips about the event and his wife and went on his way. And honestly, that was enough.

Mostly, you were focused on Thor. Because, as the night went on, you kept thinking about how important he was to you. You knew that you wouldn’t even be at the auction as a featured artist without him. He took care of you. He _wanted_ to take care of you, and that mattered even more.

At the end of the night, you were sure that you needed to tell him how you felt. If not then, soon. Before you lost your bravery and decided to wait for him to say it first, if he even felt the same.

But for the moment, you went home knowing that Steve, Bucky, and Sam had bid the highest on your piece, and that they were proudly going to display Mjölnir in their home, and that was good enough.


	10. Killing Me When You're Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Thor, you feel like anything can happen. But the one morning he's away, someone else comes out to play.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Playlist can be found [here!](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3LH4wkpZCGGjuXMLmIoozA)

The morning after the show, you woke up in Thor’s bed alone. You were startled at first, but you could hear Fenrir clomping around downstairs, so you figured Thor was attempting to make breakfast - the only meal he didn’t completely ruin on every try.

But you turned over in bed and felt paper crinkle under your neck. You reached and pulled it out, then read the scribbles.

_Hey Honey,_

_Something came up this morning that I need to deal with, but you were too cute to wake up before I left. Be back by lunch. Get comfy, don’t worry, maybe paint something as beautiful as you are._

_– Thor_

You smiled at his pet name for you, then put the note back on the bed. The house was quiet as you turned back over and threw your legs off the edge of the bed. The sheets fell from your naked body, and you stretched up, shivering as your elbows cracked and the sun came in from the window that overlooked the beach to warm you.

You stood and went to the bathroom, smirking to yourself as you passed the chair where your red dress was strewn. Your shoes sat in a messy pile with Thor’s below the chair; his Van Gogh pants hung over the arm of the chair, and his blazer…hadn’t even made it upstairs. You hoped Fenrir hadn’t gotten to it, but decided to check _after_ you showered.

When you stepped out, clean and wrapped in a towel, you went over to your drawer (not a full dresser like Thor’d wanted, but an organized drawer that you rotated clothes in and out of on a regular basis) and pulled out a bra and panties. You had plenty of clothes of your own to put on, but had a better idea.

Thor would be home eventually. You wanted to surprise him. After last night, you wanted to keep the good mood going, so you pulled open his drawers and found one of his biggest shirts - a long red tank top he wore when he knew you’d be lounging around the house. It came down to the tops of your thighs, though it barely covered your butt when you walked. You knew Thor would _definitely_ like to see that as soon as he walked through the door.

Satisfied with your choices, you threw the towel in the hamper by the door and went downstairs with a little spring in your step. Fenrir must’ve heard you, since he started barking. He hurried to the end of the stairs as you stepped off the last one, and you bent to pet him, whispering a good morning even though you were alone.

Or so you thought.

You heard someone shift on the couch, but could just barely make out the top of a dark head of hair. You let go of Fenrir and stood, starting to back up and go back to the bedroom, but then a voice as smooth as velvet and as dark as Onyx called out, “No need for that, now. May as well face the failure of a brother sooner than later.”

You swore your heart stopped for a second. With wide eyes, you slowly moved back into the room as more rustling from the couch was heard. Fenrir looked excited, turning back and forth between you and the couch, yipping softly before he scurried back into the living room.

When you came out from behind the wall, you saw a tall man with long, greasy dark hair. He had on a Emerald green blazer that was torn in a few spots, dark jeans that looked dirty, and a black shirt that was almost too big on him. He was pale, and his light eyes stared at you almost menacingly.

“Ah,” he said quietly. “You must be my brother’s newest conquest.”

You stared, your eyebrows falling into a decent scowl. Fenrir went to the man’s feet and laid down, and for a moment you thought _Traitor_ , but then you remembered that he wasn’t actually Thor’s dog.

“Loki, I assume,” you said in a flat tone, trying hard not to look intimidated.

He took you in from head to toe, slowly and with precision. You tried not to cower, even if you didn’t know why that mattered at first.

“You’re not nearly as dimwitted as some of the waifs my brother’s brought here,” he said, tilting his head to one side. “Though perhaps you’re double the waif. Only time will tell.”

“Excuse me?” you asked, crossing your arms. You barely noticed that the shirt rode up around the bottoms of your underwear as you did so.

“Oh, I’m sure you’ll get it, dear.” Loki dropped his shoulders and headed around the couch, into the kitchen. Fenrir followed as he went straight for the coffee maker, filling a filter and the water chamber in silence as you forced yourself to stay civil. He was Thor’s brother, after all.

You sighed. “Where’s Thor?”

He chuckled. “Did he not leave you a note? A text? Anything?” he asked without turning to you. When you didn’t respond, he glanced over his shoulder. “He’s taking care of some…loose ends, if you must know.”

The arch in his eyebrow told you those loose ends weren’t Thor’s to worry about. But he you knew him well enough to know he worried anyway.

“So, tell me,” Loki said, just as the water was pulled up from its chamber and pushed into the filter. “How long has this been going on between you and my brother?”

It wasn’t his business, and you didn’t want to tell him. If Thor hadn’t, why should you?

You barely saw hot brown liquid fill the pot from around his arm. The hissing of the liquid against the glass and the hotplate filled the space when you did not.

“You’re one of the quieter ones,” he said. It was a few long minutes while he waited for the coffee to finish. He took a mug down from the cabinet and filled it to the brim with the fresh coffee. He added nothing to it as he went to the island, now facing you, and leaned on his elbows as he sipped. On his first lowering of the cup, he smirked at you and said, “I like that.”

You stared at him as Fenrir walked around the kitchen, sniffing corners and crying for Loki’s attention. How something so fluffy and pure loved someone so…dark and taunting, you couldn’t say. So you wondered where Loki’d come from; he hadn’t been on the couch last night, of that you were positive. Between getting home from the auction and this morning, Thor had brought his brother home without saying anything to you, then left you with him.

But why? What was so pressing that Thor couldn’t have dealt with it after explaining why Loki was around now?

“Would you like any, dear?” Loki asked, drawing your attention back to his mug.

You shook your head. “No, thank you,” you said, unable to stop the polite gesture. You dropped your arms and thought about going upstairs to get your phone, but then changed your mind. If Thor was busy, he wouldn’t be able to text or answer a call, so your best bet for getting answers was to try to play Loki’s game, whatever it might entail.

You went to the fridge and looked around. Thor desperately needed to go food shopping, so eventually, you shut the door and went to the pantry. He always had a box of poptarts, and since you knew where to find them, you pulled them down and took out a packet from the box.

“So,” Loki said as you ripped open the packet. “Are you the astrophysicist or the artist?”

You froze. Astrophysicist?

“Is it safe to assume the artist? Because I’ve never seen something quite so… _unique_ ,” you heard.

You faced him, only to see him point at the portrait of Thor’s eyes on the wall. His tone took away some of the pride you felt whenever you looked at that portrait.

“Thor’s always had a soft spot for the sensitive types.”

_But that was something Thor liked about you, wasn’t it?_

“I heard he took a girl to Sweden in my place,” Loki said. “Was it you, dear Artist?” His eyes came back to yours, and you nodded. There was something about the way he commanded attention, only to tear you down that made it impossible to turn away. There was a sick, pathetic kind of satisfaction watching someone so masterfully manipulate a room.

“He didn’t know where you were,” you said, your voice soft this time.

He chuckled, sipping on his coffee. You fiddled with the foil around the poptarts, but didn’t dig in for one. You couldn’t decide if you felt sick or just wanted to focus on figuring out Loki’s angle. In any case, the poptarts went untouched.

“He knew how to get a hold of me, if he really wanted my company.”

Fenrir whined at his feet until Loki patted his head. He scratched between Fenny’s ears, quietly sipping on his drink.

You thought of the paparazzi at the airport. Thor thought Loki’d sent them as some signal to his still being alive. For the first time since then, you believed that theory.

“I didn’t mean to offend you by going,” you said, unsure of why you felt guilty. You shouldn’t. Thor offered you that ticket. He offered to pay for your dress, though you hadn’t let him. He wanted _you_ there with him. Who else would he have danced with if you hadn’t gone?

Still, Loki sounded…almost sad. Not angry. Not jealous. But there was something distant in his gaze, and something lonely in his tone.

“Oh, you didn’t,” he said, though you didn’t believe him. “But I’ve been trying to figure out _why_ he took you.” He stood straighter, putting his mug on the counter as he turned his whole body toward you.

You put the poptarts on the counter. “Maybe because he _wanted_ me to go?” You couldn’t say why you were asking like it was a question, but you lowered your eyelids to emphasize how simple the answer was. “Because we like each other’s company?”

“My brother doesn’t take his little friends on international trips,” he said plainly. “None of them stick around long enough. Once they see this place, they spend a night or two, get bored, and move on.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” you said. You were genuinely curious, but also slightly terrified to get clarification. The things Loki implied didn’t sit well with you.

“Oh, please. Don’t pretend you’re any different than Thor’s other money-seeking hypocrites.” He rolled his eyes, ignoring the angry look that settled on your face. “You’re an artist! You’ve got even more reason to be seen with him than the Astrophysicist.”

“Are you accusing me of gold digging?” you asked. When he remained silent, you scowled again. “You don’t even know me!”

“I know you _all._ ” His voice was sinister, tinged with territorial protection. It forced you to back away from the island. “You suck the soul out of my brother, dollar by dollar-”

“I don’t care about his money-”

“You use him, spit all over him, make him feel like absolute shit!”

“That’s not what’s happening-”

“He lets every single one of you in. He makes you think you’re the most important thing in his life-”

“You have no idea what you’re talking abo-”

“Don’t I?” he asked. “I’ve seen him cycle through many women just like you.” His eyes paused, then scanned your body again. “Well, perhaps not _just_ like you.”

“Stop it-”

“Women like you - women who have nothing - use him for his connections. His money. His generosity. That’s all it’s ever been - users who ruin his life and-”

“Stop!” you yelled. He seemed to finally get the point, because he did, indeed, stop. You took a breath and felt that your eyes had filled with tears. “You don’t know me. You might think you do, but you don’t.” As you tried to decide if you were saying this for yourself or for Loki, hot tears fell, and you ignored them. “I’m sorry that you’ve seen Thor hurt so much. But I’m not with him for the money. I couldn’t care less about it!” You threw your arms out, and when they dropped, your palms slapped against your thighs.

“When did you know who he was?” Loki asked, leaning on the counter again. He still faced you, though, and now Fenrir was hiding behind him.

“What?”

He nodded. “When did you know? That he had money and connections?”

You wondered why you thought you owed explanations. You didn’t know Loki, and you really didn’t care to now. So why, then, did you answer each of his questions?

“From the start. He’s friends with my cous-”

He smirked. “Just as I thought. Maybe you’ve allowed him to think you’re different from the others, but you’re not. They all know, and they all use that knowledge to their advantage.”

“Going to Sweden with my boyfriend for a friend’s wedding is using him to my advantage?” you asked. “He _asked_ me to go. I didn’t even let him pay for my dress!”

“Congratulations.” His voice was flat, despite the self-righteous grin on his face. “And how many times has his influence benefitted you?”

“Other than being introduced to an artist I admire, never!” You wished Fenrir could talk. He’d be able to vouch for you, at the very least. But since he couldn’t, you forced a deep breath in and held a hand up. You were tired of yelling already. “Look. You’re protective of Thor, I get it.”

“Do you?”

You paused, biting your tongue to keep from screaming. Your first impression of Thor’s brother was that he was infuriating, but you didn’t want that to make a difference in your relationship with Thor.

“Of course,” you said. “I’m the same way with my cousin, Daisy. I’ve seen her get hurt before, and I don’t like watching it happen.” You thought back to the night before, the uneasy feeling Grant brought around, and the reaction Bucky had after they’d left. You should’ve said something. You made a mental note to text Daisy when Thor got home. “But you’ve just assumed that my mission in life is to take everything from him. You don’t even know me.”

He said nothing now. You were almost shocked at his silence. Fenrir whined and got up to walk around Loki a few times. You never drew your eyes away from Loki’s.

“Your brother is one of the most generous people I’ve ever met. He… He doesn’t judge.” You thought of his hands on your hips, gripping into the skin even as it molded against his fingers. “He likes people because they’re people, he’s always _smiling_ and- God, he’s damn near perfect!” His smile, his laughter, his kisses and words of support and adoration all filled your head. “I don’t care about the money. I care about the fact that he _wants_ to take care of me. I want to take care of him, too, because I-”

Your words cut off, and you withdrew into yourself a bit. You bit your lower lip and felt heat flood your skin with the weight of what you were about to say. And it wasn’t even because you were about to say it, but because you’d been planning to say it to Thor first. Maybe it would prove something to Loki if you told him, but then again, maybe it wouldn’t. Nothing else you’d said so far had.

“You don’t sound quite finished, dear,” he finally said. He wasn’t angry anymore. There was no venom in his tone, just…curiosity, it seemed.

“I care about him. A lot.” With a soft sigh, you rolled your shoulders and attempted to ease some of the tension in your back. “If I ever hurt him… I don’t even know what I’d do. I already know he deserves far better than me, but he wants me. And I want him. If I ever screw that up, _then_ you can yell all you want. But right now, I’d appreciate it if you’d let my actions speak for themselves.”

As fate would have it, that was when Thor came through the front door. He took his gray blazer off as he came into the kitchen, smiling like nothing at all was wrong with the world. “Good,” he said, stepping right up beside you. He snuck an arm around your waist and kissed your forehead. “You two’ve met.”

Loki picked up his mug, smirking again. “Yes, and I’ve been…rather enlightened. Good talk,” he said with a nod to you. He went into the living room, Fenrir right on his heels.

“Morning, Honey,” Thor said, taking a second to step back and look you over. His glance was much softer, less scrutinizing than Loki’s. “All this for me?”

You managed to smile back, though not quite as much as you normally did. You nodded and leaned against him, confused and unfocused now.

“You okay?” he asked, quieter now.

Did you even know? You weren’t sure what had all just happened. And you didn’t know how you felt about it all.

You’d almost told Loki what you’d been waiting to tell Thor. Even that wasn’t quite enough to convince him that you weren’t like the other girls he seemed to think were Thor’s type. His cutting words ran through your mind over and over again, stunning you into silence.

“Hey,” Thor cooed, turning you so you faced one another. “What’s wrong?”

You shrugged. “Nothing,” you tried, but your voice was broken, and suddenly you felt like crying. You didn’t want to, but you were overwhelmed.

Thor called your name gently, his hands moving to your neck so he could keep your eyes on his. “Did he say something?” And when you said nothing, he went on with, “Please, tell me.”

A voice in your head told you he should know what Loki said. Another said no, that wasn’t fair. Loki was his brother. Thor was allowed to bring him here. He was allowed to prioritize what family he had left. And you were allowed to keep your conversation with Loki to yourself, if it meant Thor didn’t have to worry about the divide you felt forming in the pit of your stomach.

You shook your head. “He’s just protective of you,” you said. “I’m okay. Promise.” Gripping one of his hands with one of yours, you stepped onto your toes and pecked his lips. When you lowered yourself again, you picked up your poptarts and hurried into the living room - until you saw Loki on the couch with the TV on. You decided pants were a good idea, now that the surprise of the getup you had on was ruined.

Thor followed you, though he slipped into the shower as you went back downstairs. You took your poptarts to the opposite side of the couch from Loki, with Fenrir between you, and only half-focused on whatever show Loki had turned on. You ate in silence, trying not to think about anything in particular for too long.

Thor was still in the shower when you finished eating. You sighed and knew that if you didn’t do something about…whatever had happened earlier, you were going to explode. Turning to Loki, you put a hand on Fenrir’s belly and sighed.

“I’m sorry about before,” you said, though you didn’t know why _you_ were apologizing. In your head, you thought Loki was the one that should say sorry. You’d done nothing wrong except raise your voice, but the things he’d insinuated got to you.

He barely even turned to look at you. “Oh, don’t think of it, dear. It’s not like much will come of this anyway.”

Your face scrunched. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“I assume you’ve never seen any of the women Thor’s been with before,” he said.

“What do any of them have to do with this?”

Loki chuckled. “You’d know if you had.” He gave you a sneaky side-eye that Fenrir didn’t even notice.

You didn’t want to get into this - whatever _this_ entailed - but you weren’t stupid. And you weren’t going to let someone who barely knew you walk all over you and your relationship, even if they were Thor’s brother.

“You know,” you said, turning to face him, removing your hand from Fenrir. “You could just say you don’t like me because I’m fat.”

“But that would be too easy, now wouldn’t it?” he asked, never hesitating, always a step ahead. It made you hot and angry.

“Even if you don’t like me, Loki, you better get used to me. Because, until Thor says otherwise, I’m not going anywhere.”

“Sooner or later, he will.”

You didn’t know if it was the nonchalant way he carried on, despite what he said, or if it was the things that he said themselves, but you stopped. He knew his brother - what if he was right? What if, after everything, Thor didn’t want you anymore? Would he think you were just after his money, despite everything you’d done to prove otherwise? Would he change his mind about your body?

It didn’t matter how irrational those questions seemed. They still took up space in your head - space that otherwise should’ve been occupied with Thor himself as he came back downstairs.

Your heart sped up, and not in the fluttery way it did when Thor smiled at you a certain way. He was smiling now, but it only unsettled you. You wouldn’t dare look at Loki, and at the first sound that either of them made, you stood from the couch and immediately ran upstairs.

You needed to get out. You didn’t want to - not really - but you needed to. Being around them both shouldn’t be like this, and you knew it. You practically ran to Thor’s room, grabbing things you’d left out in a frantic rush.

This wasn’t like you. You didn’t run, didn’t skip out on people who depended on you. But the thing was, he _didn’t_ depend on you. You depended on him. Loki was right, at least in that Thor took much greater care of you than you could of him.

Breaths came in deep, uneven waves. Your fingers hurt from clutching your heels from the night before. The red dress was all but forgotten, though Daisy’s jewelry was hastily thrown into your purse. You were suddenly overwhelmed with how much stuff you had here, stuff that should’ve been left at Uncle Phil’s house. Stuff that only served to impose on Thor and his kindness.

Warm hands wrapped around your upper arms. You flinched and dropped the heels, turning so quickly you lost your balance and fell on the bed.

“Hey,” Thor called softly as your open purse spilled all over the mattress. “What’s wrong?”

You shook your head. “I have to go.” Pushing yourself up from the bed, you tried to continue packing, although you weren’t paying attention at all to what you were picking up. Anything you could reach was thrown into your purse.

He caught your hands - not your wrists, which would’ve been easier to grab, but your hands with all their treasures still held tightly to. “Honey,” he said softly, “Honey, please. Talk to me.”

Unable to grab more to pack, you forced yourself to turn to him. Thor was kneeling at the end of the bed, his gorgeous eyes trained directly on you, full of concern and confusion. You dropped what you had in your hands and tried to focus.

“What did Loki say?” he asked, suddenly taking on a heartbroken look in the depths of his eyes.

You couldn’t tell him even if you wanted to. His brother - and the sister neither of them talked about except that one time - was all the family Thor had left. And what were you? A poor artist girl with thighs that jiggled when she walked and marks that emphasized how big she was.

You were fleeting.

The thought broke you, but you knew you couldn’t let Thor see. He’d worry, he’d confront Loki, and he’d create a rift that didn’t need to come about. Not over you.

You couldn’t leave him now, not with his hands in yours, but you knew…soon.

“(Y/N), I can’t do anything to make this better if you don’t tell me what happened.” He pushed himself up and put his palms against your cheeks, sitting so close you could feel his breath on your chin.

You held his hands in yours again. It would hurt to leave him, you knew. After everything, it would fucking suck. But Loki’s words filled your head, clogging up all the room for good memories and feelings. If he thought you were after Thor’s money, there was no telling what other people thought. If Thor’s own brother only saw you as a poor fat girl, everyone else had to, too.

What bothered you more than anything was what that said about Thor. That people would assume he pitied you, that he was heartless and wanted an easy lay - which you hadn’t been - and that he’d preyed on the first fat girl he could find because she’d be disposable, forgettable.

That wasn’t Thor.

That wasn’t the man you loved. It was the image your presence imposed on him. It was what you needed to step away from, soon.

Which probably made your next move the wrong one.

“Just kiss me please,” you whimpered.


	11. I Have To Cross This Line

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You make the hardest decision you've ever made, and pay for it in an unexpected way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Playlist can be found [here](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3LH4wkpZCGGjuXMLmIoozA)!
> 
> I'm sorry. Mostly because it took so long for me to get this chapter up. This was really hard to re-read just to post here (hard because it's a difficult, angsty chapter).

It was slower going than you’d expected. You kept telling yourself you needed to get out quicker, but you never managed it. Thor was just…so good and amazing and you were sure you loved him so much.

You knew that the longer you stayed, the harder it would be to leave.

But you felt that was what was best. For Thor. He’d move on and be happy again. Eventually

Loki stayed, though he spent most of his time not at home. You didn’t have to recount everything he’d said _again_ , as if you didn’t already live with his voice in your head, reminding you of the very thing that was killing you slowly.

Eventually, you stopped staying over. You’d leave Thor with Fenrir in your place in bed, then fight tears as you drove back to Uncle Phil’s house. But it no longer felt like home. It felt like times in college when you’d had a breakup and needed to spend the night with Daisy, only now, the breakup wasn’t even happening all at once, and the guy had no idea it why was happening at all.

Every few nights, you’d come up with a stupid excuse not to go to his house after work. Just once or twice a week at first. Then it was “work’s gotten crazy, sorry babe,” more often. Work had never gotten _that_ bad. You filled the space with painting to distract yourself from your lie.

Two months in to cutting the cord and you’d all but avoided going over entirely.

Every time Thor asked what was wrong, every single text he sent asking what he’d done tore you to bits. You spent a lot of time crying, wishing you didn’t have to do this, wishing you could be smaller and prettier and better for him. Wishing you could quit feeling like you needed to change to fit into his life. Wishing you’d never met Loki, never tried to engage him in conversation.

And when Fandral and Hilde started texting, asking if you were okay, you nearly lost it entirely. You knew they were worried about Thor, and that he must’ve said something to them about you. Your abandonment of him. They genuinely seemed worried about you, too, but because of Loki, you were convinced they only checked in for Thor’s sake.

You felt stupid for having done this, and you felt heartless for coming up with excuses and ignoring texts so you didn’t have to talk to Thor.

And one day, he stopped trying. A small, almost infinitesimal part of you was relieved. A bigger, shakier part of you was broken.

You called out from work the next day. Daisy cancelled any of her appointments. You laid in bed together and you told her everything you’d done. She smacked you, told you to fix it, but you shook your head and told her it was too late. You’d done the damage to prove you weren’t good enough for Thor, and there was no getting back to where you’d left off even if you were. She offered to kick Loki’s ass, but you told her he was right.

He was Thor’s brother, he was right, and you weren’t worth the fuss.

“Like hell you’re not,” she said, softly rubbing your arm. “And I can’t believe you just walked away from him like that.”

You flinched. “I know, I know,” you whimpered. “I just…I can’t let the world see him like that. I can’t be the charity case in anyone’s eyes, because the second I am is the second he’s not what he deserves to be.”

“That doesn’t even make sense!” Daisy said, so loud your ears rang. “You know you’re, like, the dumbest bitch I’ve ever met, right?”

“Thanks, D,” you muttered, pained sarcasm taking over your voice and expression

“I’m serious, (Y/N)!” she said. “I set you up with him because I knew you’d be happy. I knew you’d both be good for one another! And then you go and just…whatever, you left him because Loki said some shitty things?” She scoffed without waiting for you to respond. “That’s Loki’s prerogative! He’s a dick! You said even his friends liked that you were at the wedding instead of him, so why the fuck would you listen to a word he said?”

She had a point, just like the voice in the back of your head telling you over and over again that you’d made a huge mistake the second you tried to leave. It was too late to dwell on that, though.

“Because,” you said, rubbing your face into Daisy’s side, “he deserves so much better. He deserves someone that makes as much money as he does, so no one thinks he’s their Sugar Daddy or something. He deserves someone in his league and on his level and-”

“Oh, shut the fuck. Up!” she yelled. “Stop feeling sorry for yourself. You’re using his money as an excuse for your leaving when we both know you were ridiculously happy with him.”

“D, could you probably not yell at me please?” you asked, grateful that her grip didn’t get tighter at the light tone in your voice. “If he didn’t hate me before, he does now. I made sure of it.”

She sighed. For a few moments, she said nothing. You knew her well enough to know she was weighing her options. She could keep yelling, trying to talk you into going to Thor and begging for his forgiveness.

Or she could be the sister you needed at that moment and let you wallow for a minute. She could support you, even if she didn’t understand. She could hold you and reprimand you later. Tomorrow. Next week - whenever, just not _now_.

You were grateful that she went with the latter route.

//

Daisy didn’t let you off the hook entirely, though. Every second she could, at every chance she got, she threw Thor’s pain in your face.

You had to remind yourself - often - that he was her friend, too. She’d known him for as long as Phil had been working for Odin. She cared enough about him to set him up with you, and what did that get him? You actually could understand why she was so angry when you thought about the situation that way.

Thor showed up alone at events and spoke only to people he knew. He barely smiled, drank too much, and went home early so he didn’t disturb anyone. Daisy sent you links to gossip articles, which you tried your best to ignore. But you didn’t. You became a glutton for punishment, especially when that punishment came in the form of wallowing in the pain you caused both yourself and Thor.

She left a local newspaper on your bed one day. You saw it when you got home from work. The headline in the entertainment section read _Thor Odinson: Moving On?_ But the picture was one of him and Hilde leaving an event in Los Angeles. For half a second, you had half a mind to text her and ask when she’d gotten in, but you quickly dashed that thought and threw the paper out. When it hit the bottom of the metal trash can by your desk, a regular slip of paper fell from it, catching your eye.

You almost didn’t pick it up, not thinking much of it. But when you got a closer look, you recognized, quickly, that it was taped to one of the pages of the newspaper, and that it was actually the back of a photograph.

You pulled the newspaper out of the trash and tugged on the picture. It was of you and Thor at the silent auction. You were pressed so close to his side that you almost looked like one person with two heads. Your eyes were trained on his and his were on yours, drinks in hand, absolutely blissful expressions on both of your faces.

There was nothing to denote where the picture came from. No markings, no note. Nothing in the newspaper. It was just a picture - on _film_ \- that someone had snapped and printed. Something about its placement told you Daisy had done most of the work, though you didn’t really know how.

But it didn’t really matter how the picture came to be. Its effect was immediate, tearing into whatever was left of your heart until there was nothing. Just an empty, far-away feeling of regret.

//

The door to the office stayed shut for a while after that. You weren’t in the mood to paint. You went to work, came home, went into autopilot, and pretended to ignore Daisy’s annoying reminders of your mistakes.

And then Daisy went to stay with Grant for two nights, but she never came home before the third. By the following day, her phone was dead. The same morning you figured that out, Uncle Phil got a letter.

“He has her.” That was all he said. You hadn’t even realized they knew Grant, but apparently, they did.

“Where?” Aunt Melinda asked, her voice as stone cold as her expression. You’d seen her go into modes like this few times before, but when she did, you knew there was nothing that would stop her from finishing whatever task was at hand.

_Like insisting to a Child Protective Services agent that her recently orphaned niece was going to be raised by her and her husband in their home, the lack of Will from your parents be damned._

Uncle Phil gave her the letter. His hands shook worse than hers. Aunt Melinda was always good at concealing her emotions in difficult situations.

_Like when that Child Protective Services agent attempted to put you in the foster care system, and Melinda calmly but lethally told them otherwise._

“Where?” you asked, hoping to get a peek at the paper too.

“Some coordinates. But I’m not familiar with them,” Uncle Phil said.

You took the paper, pulled your phone out, and typed in the coordinates. Google gave you the exact location, but when you showed it to Phil and Melinda, they shuddered. Collectively.

“What is it?” you asked.

Melinda nodded at Phil. She left the room. He came over to you, grabbed your arm, and started moving you into the living room. When he stopped, he looked over the paper carefully.

_Just like he had over the adoption papers._

“It’s Hydra.”

You stared at him and asked, “What?”

He sighed, and faintly you could hear Melinda on the phone down the hall. You couldn’t make out what she said, but you heard the rushed, urgent tone to her sentences.

“Hydra. Stark’s only competitor South of Silicon Valley.”

You were confused. “Why do they have Daisy?” you asked. The pieces didn’t fit. Grant seemed…like a _nice enough_ guy. He was cordial, at least. Even when he gave off weird vibes at the silent auction, he’d been polite. But that didn’t explain how he was involved with Hydra - whoever they were - nor did it clear up what they wanted out of Daisy.

“They want something. From Stark.”

 _Money?_ you wondered. _Tech?_ What else could Stark have that his competitor would stoop so low as to kidnap an innocent woman for? A woman with few connections to Tony Stark herself, other than knowing, pretty casually, his sometimes business partner. She had no pull over him or Thor - not anymore, thanks in large part to you. You really didn’t know Stark either, but maybe Grant thought you did.

As you thought of him now, you burned with the need to rip him to shreds. How he could possibly think any of this made sense or was okay was beyond you.

“I don’t understand,” you said, shaking your head.

Phil folded the paper between his fingers and sighed. “You will. But first, you should call him.”

“Grant?” you asked, your face scrunching in confusion and disgust. “I don’t even have his-”

“No,” he said loudly. Then he softened. “You need to call Thor.”

“What?” You took a step back, pulling your arm from Phil’s grasp. “Why? What does he have to do with any of this?” You shook your head again, now in an attempt to stay a headache that was on the brink of taking over. “What’s going on, Phil?”

He paused. He softened more until his eyes were sad and lost for a moment. “You sound just like your dad,” he whispered.

You reacted like he did; your shoulders dropped and your face lost its tension. But you still had questions, and you needed answers.

“Why do I have to call Thor?” you asked in as even a tone as you could manage. You knew, by the volume of Phil’s voice and the serious look in his eyes, that you had to talk to Thor for Daisy’s sake. But that wasn’t enough. You weren’t about to call him if this was something a few of Phil’s old co-workers could handle.

If Phil needed Thor enough for you to dig up the scabs left by your abandonment, you needed to know _exactly_ what for.

“Did he ever tell you about his time in the Australian army?” Phil asked.

You blinked, then shrugged. You tried hard not to think of touching his scars, of finding them in the first place and asking where they’d come from. “A little.”

“He was basically one of their SEALs. If anyone knows the team to get Daisy back safe, it’s him.” He put his hand on your shoulder and said, “Call him. If for nothing else, then for Daisy.”

//

You knew you had to move quickly, but you paced your room with the door closed, watching the floor as you went. It felt cold and unfamiliar. The room wasn’t right, especially whenever you looked at the phone that was clutched in your hands.

What if you called and he didn’t answer?

What if you called and he _did_?

What if you called, said what you needed to say, and it wasn’t enough? What if he refused to help after everything?

But that wasn’t him. He’d done nothing _but_ help you the entire time you were together. And, like Daisy had reminded you countless times, he was her friend before you’d met. He’d help in any way he could, and you knew it. If not for you, then for Daisy. _Good_.

There was a small knock on the door, letting you know you had five minutes before you absolutely had to leave. That was all Aunt Melinda was giving to you, so it was now or never.

You mumbled Daisy’s name as you waited through the ringing. It felt like the line went on forever line went on forever. Eventually, though, the ringing ceased, and a small call of your name came through. Your heart stopped for a minute, and you forced yourself to breathe.

“Thor,” you let out. “I- Um. I’m really sorry to bother you, really, but something happened-”

“Are you okay?” he asked, suddenly much more aware.

You stopped pacing. “I’m…okay, yeah. It’s Daisy.”

“What happened?”

You explained all that you could. He barely remembered Grant, but never questioned how he was involved. Thor listened like he always had. And when you finished, he immediately told you, “Bring them here. I’ve got a plan.”

“You do?” you asked.

“Yes.”

You sighed and covered your eyes with your free hand. “Thank you so much, Thor.” A heavy breath pushed its way through your tightening throat. “I’m so sorry.”

You hadn’t meant to say it, but now that you did, you couldn’t - nor did you want to - take it back. You swallowed hard through the tight muscles in your neck and waited for his response.

“Come over here as soon as you can.” That was it. He hung up.

//

Within twenty minutes, Phil had his Lexus parked behind Thor’s Range Rover. Two other cars were there as well - a old Camaro and something red and vintage that you didn’t recognize. You went up to the door behind a somber Phil and an angry but silent Melinda. The second the door opened, Fenrir burst out and came around Phil to you; you collapsed on the pavement to meet him and wrapped him up in a huge hug.

“Missed you too, Fenny,” you whispered to him as he licked your chin.

All morning, you’d been dreading the tight feeling of regret in your chest. The longer you held onto the dog, the further you could push the feeling off from totally consuming you. But Daisy needed you more than you needed Fenrir.

You stood slowly, keeping your hand on his head as you followed Phil and Melinda into the house. It felt full, though there were only a handful of people milling about.

Hilde was still there. She and Loki stood side by side in the kitchen, totally ignoring your entrance, though you knew they had their reasons. You noticed Steve, Bucky, and even Sam across the living room, pacing with pensive looks on their faces by the office door. Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton were there, too, and from the far end of the room, you could hear Tony Stark’s distinct voice, even though you didn’t see him.

Your eyes met Thor’s as he moved into the living room. You wanted to smile, to say something, to apologize or grovel at his feet. Anything would do. Anything was better than standing there, watching as he looked away from you and went to talk to people that hadn’t walked away from him without an explanation.

A voice in the back of your head told you to pull him aside and tell him what had happened. To tell him everything. But another little voice reminded you why you were here.

_Daisy._

You followed Phil and Melinda into the room and kept your eyes low. You felt like a child standing shamefully behind their parents as they’re being forced to apologize for a stupid, avoidable mistake. No one even glanced your way. You couldn’t tell if you were thankful for that or not.

Steve and Bucky met you halfway. Neither of them smiled, but then again, you weren’t sure the occasion called for smiles.

“Hey,” Steve said quietly. “How’re you holding up?”

Was he asking about Daisy, or the fact that you hadn’t been in this house in over a month and being back just might tear you to shreds? Did he know what you’d done? Did Bucky?

Neither said anything if they did.

You nodded. “As well as I can, I guess. But…what is everyone doing here?”

“We’re here to help find your cousin,” Bucky answered. His long hair was tied back into a low bun at the base of his neck, though a few strands hung freely around his face.

“But…why?”

They shared a look. Bucky tilted his head, and you knew they were transferring some kind of information between them. Steve nodded, then turned back to you.

“Before Bucky worked for Stark, he worked for Hydra.”

“Not my brightest days,” he mumbled, unable to meet your eyes again, as if his time before Stark Industries had been shameful. Not that you had any right to judge him for it.

“You know what they make, right?” Steve asked.

You shrugged. “Not really. Phil told me they’re Stark’s competitors, so I guess tech.”

Steve sighed. “To make an extremely long story short, their biggest division is weaponry. They’ve been trying to out-weapon Stark for years. Before Bucky, they were first in that division while Tony focused on progressive, clean energy.”

Bucky looked at the ground, his brows heavy with guilt even as Fenrir weaved his way between all three of you.

“Okay,” you said slowly.

“When I left,” Bucky said without raising his head, “the division almost shut down. I was their top expert - their secret weapon, no pun intended. But I was done making guns - I was done with their Nazi-ass shit.” He sighed, his fists balled into tense swirls at his sides. “I went to Stark to focus on better things for people, but Hydra never forgot about me.”

Your brow furrowed. “So they kidnapped Daisy to get you back or something?” you asked. It was almost more far-fetched than Grant taking Daisy just because he wanted something from Tony Stark.

“Not exactly,” Steve said, “but it might have something to do with getting even with Stark _because_ of Bucky. It’s probably a very small part of this whole thing but-”

“But even that small part makes me want to rip every last one of those douchebags to shreds,” Bucky said. When his eyes met yours again, they were filled with blue fire and rage. “After everything they did to me, they deserve it. And taking an innocent girl?”

You swore he growled. Fenrir growled back, though far more playfully. The interaction caught the attention of Loki and Thor, who both watched you carefully, though with completely opposite looks of derision and suspicion, respectively.

You wanted to tell Bucky not to blame himself. This wasn’t his fault. This was Grant’s, and Grant’s alone. But he walked away without another word before you could say anything. Steve’s eyes widened and he stepped after Bucky, then turned back to you for a second.

“Sorry,” he muttered. “We’re doing whatever we can.” Then he followed Bucky across the room and out one of the sliding glass doors onto the short lawn behind the house.

You nodded and wondered what artists like you and Steve could do in a situation like this. What could you do, as someone who wasn’t trained in combat or extraction or…whatever it was you’d be set up to do? Maybe Bucky, Natasha, Clint, and Thor had a place here, but you weren’t even sure what Melinda and Phil were doing besides being good, concerned parents.

None of this made sense. Why Thor? Didn’t Phil know all of these people, too? And why Daisy? Why this Hydra company? You had no fathomable idea what they wanted. Maybe no one was going to tell you, but didn’t you deserve to know? If anything, didn’t somebody owe you that?

No one thought they did, apparently.

You were called into the office eventually. Tony Stark stood, in all his billionaire glory, in dark clothes and a puffy vest. The room had an arsenal of weapons strewn across it. It’d never looked more threatening.

“You know how to shoot?” he asked as you approached.

“No, sir,” you said quietly, unsure of whether you were more nervous to be around so many guns or to be talking to Tony Freaking Stark.

He sighed, and his shoulders dropped dramatically. His face, however, looked sincerely concerned. “‘Kay, well then you’re gonna get the stick.” He turned and picked up a long black stick, just like he’d said. His thumb found a button on the front, and the length of it extended. “If anyone comes near you, hit ‘em with this. This other button,” he said, showing you the second, smaller plastic piece on the handle, “works like a taser would. Try not to make direct contact with skin, though. Might fry’em.”

He put the stick in your hand and turned back to the desk behind him. You stared it, trying to weigh it and decide if you could even use it. It seemed simple enough, and it was better than being handed a gun, but it still felt wrong.

_It’s for Daisy. You have to get Daisy._

Right. Daisy. None of this was about you. It was about…whatever it was Hydra wanted from Stark, that they thought they could get through Daisy…somehow.

Stark turned back to you with a small pocket knife and placed it next to the stick in your hand. Before he could tell you how to use it, you met his eyes and asked, “Why’s this happening?”

His face fell. His lips forced a tight line, and he looked at you with pity in his eyes so deep, you almost pitied yourself too. You would’ve been angry about it if you weren’t desperately trying to get answers.

“It’s a _very,_ misguided attempt at getting a message to me,” he said quietly. “I’m sorry this is happening to your cousin, really. But we’re all here to send an even louder message back to those assholes.”

“This can’t be legal,” you heard yourself say. It just came out. But it also made Tony smile, just a little bit.

“Neither is kidnapping. Or attempting to steal what might be a biological compound to cure cancer.” He paused - didn’t bother to explain the latter - and sighed. “This is all I’m giving you,” he said, nodding to the stick and the knife in your palms. “Just keep yourself alive, find Daisy, get out, okay?”

You nodded and made to leave, but you stopped a few steps in and looked back at him. “Thank you, Mr. Stark.”

“Sure, kid.” With that, he turned back to the desk and inspected whatever was there.

//

Tony, Clint, and Natasha left in the vintage car (you guessed, from its pristine condition, that it belonged to Tony). Hilde slid in with Steve, Bucky, and Sam in the Camaro. Phil and Melinda got back in their car and, to your surprise, Thor asked you to go with him.

You were surprised, yes, but you were also shake-inducingly nervous. You wondered why Loki wasn’t going at all, but as you headed out, you saw him on the couch with a Macbook on his lap. All he did was wink when he caught you looking, as if you shared a secret instead of harbored awkward and even negative feelings toward one another.

You got in Thor’s Range Rover silently, now wearing a large, heavy vest Tony had given you a few minutes before. He’d said it was bulletproof, but it squished your boobs and made it uncomfortable to move too much. Clearly, it wasn’t made for someone with your body type, but it was what you had.

You needed to find Daisy, get her out of Grant’s clutches, and go home. That was it.

The sun was reaching its midday point by then. You put the visor down in front of you to shield your eyes as Thor drove. He followed Phil and Melinda closely, so you tried to focus on their license plate, but after a while you felt sick from the stop and go of both vehicles.

And then, out of nowhere, Thor spoke: “Can I ask you something?”

Your stomach dropped, but you nodded anyway.

“Did I… Were…” He sighed and clenched his jaw, his teeth grinding over one another as he came to a red light. “Were you unhappy? With me?”

You wanted to lie. So, so badly. If you could tell him that you weren’t happy, that he’d done something or that you’d just lost interest, you could both go about the day without saying anything more to one another. You’d never have to cause him more pain again. He could move on and be with one of the girls Loki talked about, though you wanted better for him than a pretty girl who was just after his money.

But that was impossible.

“No,” you whispered. And then you waited, and he waited too. You added in hushed tones, “But I couldn’t come between you and your family.”

He glanced at you from the side of his vision, without turning his head fully toward you. “So it did have to do with Loki?” he asked.

You cleared your throat. “Partially. But he’s your brother.”

“You’d met him once. Did he really scare you off that easily?”

“He’s…” You couldn’t lie, no matter how hard you tried. That should’ve been a good thing. “A little intimidating.”

“And that’s why you left?”

The question sat between you like Fenrir might; it just plopped itself down and waited for attention. Where did you start? With accusing his brother of preying on your insecurities? With deciding that those insecurities had a weight of their own, and that you were concerned for _him_ more than yourself? That, even so, you left to save yourself from his resentment, which had to be inevitable if the whole world around you kept telling him he was the bad guy for being with you?

You thought about the newspaper and picture Daisy had left you. That article said nothing about his money, and the picture just showed the both of you happy as could be.

For the first time since you’d left, you doubted that train of thought that’d led you to leave in the first place.

“Do we have to talk about this now?” you asked, looking away from him.

“I want to,” he said with more power in his tone. “I deserve some explanation, (Y/N). You know it.”

 _This isn’t closure_ you thought. It felt like an ambush, like he’d asked you to come with him for this exact conversation. You didn’t like that thought, but it had to be true, at least to some degree. And you couldn’t deny that he deserved at least a sliver of the truth. He’d done nothing wrong in the first place. Nothing at all.

“You also deserve someone a lot better than me,” you said, defeated and quiet.

He scoffed as the light changed. “I hate it when people say that. What does that even mean?” His hand on the gear shift tightened, his knuckles turning white. “And if you really felt that way, why didn’t you just say something? I could’ve helped-”

“No, Thor, that’s the problem. You did so much for me, and I had no way to make it up to you!” You turned in your seat to face him. “Eventually, everyone was going to know, and I was gonna end up being that pathetic fat girl with too much ambition, just sitting around letting some rich guy do everything for her. And you…” You pouted. “You’d be the poor sap who fell for the whole thing. You’d be the hot guy who’s too good for the moocher. The things they’d say…”

“Who are _they_?” he asked. “Why do _they_ matter at all? _They_ weren’t paying close enough attention to us if that’s what _they'd_ think.”

You remembered the flashing cameras at the airport, at the auction. It all came back; the feeling of protection Thor’d always given you, the confusion at why those people were taking your picture just because you were with him, the need to get away from their prying eyes. He had to know that it only took one wrong picture, one little lie from a gossip writer to ruin someone.

But did he care? You wondered why you did at all. What did you have to be ruined? What did _he_?

“One day, you’d get to a point where you resented how much I took from you,” you said. “You’ve been generous since day one and I had nothing to give in return. Don’t tell me you wouldn’t hate me for it soon enough.”

“I _offered_ every single thing I gave to you,” he said, with no hint of anger in his tone now. Just…betrayal, as far as you could tell. “I _wanted_ to give those things to you. And I never, _ever_ expected anything in return.” His voice broke, as did your heart. Again.

The silence that filled the car then made it hard for you to breathe. You couldn’t do this. Not now. You should’ve been focusing on Daisy, but you were consumed with regret all over again. If Thor didn’t detest you by then, _you_ certainly did.

“You let it happen so slowly,” he whispered. “Like you thought I wouldn’t notice or something. But I did. And I don’t know if that hurts more, or the fact that it could’ve all been avoided if you’d talked to me about all of this.”

You shut your eyes and pinched your arm. Some part of you wanted to inflict more pain because you deserved it; another part of you knew it was just to keep yourself from sobbing. You had to stay strong, put together. Even if you were having this conversation right now, you still had to save Daisy the second you got out of your seat.

You only had one thing to say. It came on the edge of your breath, and immediately exhausted you: “I’m so sorry.” Three little words - that’s all it took to totally wreck you.


	12. I'm Something Weak

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The extraction begins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Playlist can be found [here](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3LH4wkpZCGGjuXMLmIoozA)!

The cavalcade parked less than a mile away from what looked like a warehouse. You followed instructions in a haze. The only things you needed to remember were: keep your eyes on someone you recognized at all times, and Daisy was depending on you.

But as you made your way down the block, all you thought about was the pain you’d caused Thor. How your actions made him think _he_ had done something wrong.

You were the wrong one. Of that, you’d always been positive.

And what’s worse was that he was right. If you’d just talked to him, none of this would’ve happened. Well, you might still be on a rescue mission to find Daisy - _that_ was definitely beyond his control - but you’d at least not be distracted. You’d still be with him, like you wanted. You’d be holding his hand, hearing him whisper little words of affirmation and promises that he’d do whatever he could to help you save Daisy.

But you weren’t. And it was your own fault.

Neither of you came to a conclusion. The conversation had cut off after your apology; you hadn’t even been able to look at him as you got out of the car, geared up further, and got in formation. He led part of the group, but you were far behind him, so at least you didn’t have to stick to his side and wonder what he was thinking the whole time.

All of this because you couldn’t tell him that Loki had gotten under your skin. You couldn’t tell Thor that his brother had won his battle in getting between the two of you. You barely knew Loki, but from the way Thor had always spoken of him, you knew there was no competition. You wouldn’t be the girl that drove brothers apart because of your insecurities.

Hilde stood in front of you as the group came to a stop just around the corner from the building. Tony started giving everyone specific instructions, and then the first group was sent around the corner and into the warehouse. Clint, Phil, Melinda, and Sam did as they’d been instructed.

You were sent in with Steve, Bucky, and Hilde. That left Natasha, Thor, and Tony to go in after you.

You followed behind the more experienced members of your group; Hilde stayed close and walked tall. You couldn’t read her expression, but you had a strong feeling she wasn’t particularly happy to be paired with you.

Bucky led the way through corridor after corridor. You were beginning to wonder where everyone was - wasn’t this supposed to be harder than just walking through the front door? - when you turned a corner and, lo and behold, a small group of men in all black combat gear were waiting. Bucky and Steve held most of them off easily, and you pulled out the stick Tony had given you. Hilde had a short sword - where she’d gotten it and why she’d chosen to bring it to a gunfight, you wouldn’t know, but it didn’t matter. She went in with a charge, throwing the metal around like it was an extension of her arm, like she’d been fighting like this her whole life.

Maybe she had been. After everything, you realized you didn’t even know what she did for a living. You thought for a second that, maybe, you’d been in deeper than anyone else involved. You couldn’t decide if that hurt more than the thought of hurting Thor or not.

You watched from afar. There weren’t a lot of men, and to be fair, you were quite stunned. You didn’t know how to fight. Not like the three of them, apparently. In no time, the men were down and Bucky was checking for clearance before leading the group again.

Hilde noticed you hung back, so she came for you. Her grip on your arm was tight enough to pull you along. She said nothing other than, “We need to move,” while her sword hung at her opposite side, her grip on it most likely tighter than on you.

You followed them in a daze, merely watching whenever a fight happened in front of you. Tony had given you the stick and the knife, but you couldn’t bring yourself to use either. The longer you spent in the winding, dark hallways, the less you were aware of your position in the building. You were thankful you’d been paired with Bucky, who probably knew the situation too well.

At some point, your group met back up with Thor’s. Out of nowhere, he was just…there. Tony checked in on everyone, then Bucky and Natasha led the way.

Someone leaned over to you and whispered, “They think we’re close,” and you only recognized the voice by the accent. Thor hadn’t looked at you, but he’d brought himself down enough to be level with you. “When we find her, you go straight for her, got it?”

Without thinking, you nodded.

“We’ll take care of the rest.”

You nodded more. Your heart beat hard in your chest and you couldn’t tell if it was because you were nervous to find Daisy or because Thor was talking to you, speaking plainly and normally, like you hadn’t had a world-shattering conversation on the drive over. You realized, as you came to recognition of where you were again, that the conversation wasn’t important.

Daisy was your cousin, yes, but she was Thor’s friend. She’d vyed for you. She’d paired the two of you together, thinking of your happiness before her own. She’d been there to listen to every little detail you’d told her about your relationship with Thor, and she’d been enthusiastic and happy to hear it all. To think that something like this - _kidnapping_ \- would happen to someone like her?

You couldn’t let it break you. You had to stand taller, march on, and do as you were told. Vulnerability here would get you and Daisy hurt, and Phil and Melinda and Thor - everyone would get hurt somehow.

The group came to a huge steel door. Bucky and Natasha looked to be inspecting it, so you looked up at Thor and sighed.

“Remind me later that I owe everyone here fruit baskets or something,” you said, your whole body pulsing with nervous energy. You stood a little closer to him and whispered, “And remind me that I owe you so much more.”

The door opened, swinging slowly back. You couldn’t see much except a dark room.

Then a loud scream came from within. It was short and garbled, like the person had been screaming for days.

Rounds of bullets went off. Thor pushed you behind him, and you heard additional guns firing, closer now. They had to be Bucky and Natasha, and maybe even Steve if he had a handgun you hadn’t seen before. It took you a minute to realize you were shaking, and another minute to notice that you’d gripped the back of Thor’s shirt where the vest he wore didn’t cover.

_Get Daisy. Get. Daisy. Daisy._

You tried to breathe, but your lungs felt like they’d been filled with lead. You jumped when a new round of bullets sounded off, holding as tightly to Thor as you could manage. He didn’t say anything, didn’t pull away. You put your forehead against his vest and shut your eyes, but even that didn’t center you enough to move.

“We have to get Daisy,” he called over his shoulder at you.

You started to shake your head, but forced yourself to stop.

_Daisy. Get Daisy. Get. Daisy._

Something gripped your fist on his shirt. Your eyes snapped open and up, and you saw his hand pulling on yours, his arm bent back as much as he could get it.

He was leaving himself vulnerable, with bullets flying. With a jolt, you laced your fingers through his so he could bring his arm down and let him lead you into the darkened room behind Hilde.

There was one yellow light along the back wall of the room that filled the space with a dingy glow. It wasn’t a big room, and there were already too many people inside. You were left practically in the doorway while Tony, Bucky, Steve, Natasha, and Hilde made work of the Hydra men and their guns.

Daisy yelled out for you. Your heart skipped a beat. You let go of Thor’s hand and, without thinking, stepped out from behind him. You thought he tried to grab for you, but for once, you moved too quickly.

Nothing in the room could stop you. Daisy was within your sights. She was tied to a chair, gagged with a dirty cloth, dried blood on the side of her face. Not a lot of it, but enough to make you angry. Angry enough to drive you across a warzone at your top speed, regardless of the people that got in your way or tried to keep you back. Your cousin was hurt, tied up, _kidnapped_ \- your best friend, your _sister_.

_Get Daisy. Get Daisy. Get. Daisy._

You made it to her unscathed, but Daisy was yelling at you through the gag. She shook her head, writhed in her chair, and made it difficult for you to get her out of her bonds. You still went around the chair, knelt down, and attempted to find the knot in the rope that held her hands. Everything around you happened quickly and loudly, and you could barely see the rope. You missed someone approaching you from the corner of the room, so when their boot collided with your side, you screamed out and went flying.

“Oh, look,” you heard over the riot around you. Daisy’s chair scraped on the floor as she continued yelling, but the words were all blurred around the gag. You sucked in short breaths, each cut off as pain exploded from your side.

“The Sensitive Artist Cousin,” the same voice called, closer now. You could see the person crouching beside you, but you could barely move enough to push your hair out of your face, let alone discern who it was.

“Let-” you croaked, your side muscles clenching as you attempted words. “Her. Go.” You coughed hard against the ground.

The person laughed. “That’d be too easy, wouldn’t it?” they asked.

You recognized that voice. You’d only heard it a few times, and not for very long at any point, but you knew it.

Grant. _Of course_.

“How ‘bout we make a deal, (Y/N)?” he asked, leaning forward as you were just barely able to support yourself on your elbow. He reached out to push hair away from your eyes, but you retched at his touch. “You get your buddy Stark to give us what we want, and we let you both go.”

You were sure you heard Thor yell from somewhere around the room, something along the lines of, “Get away!” But you couldn’t see him, so you had no idea where he was in relation to you.

You drew back all the spit you could muster, taking in a deep breath at the same time, then pushed it all out in one blow. You aimed for Grant’s face, but the shiny pool of saliva ended up hitting his hand that had tried to touch you - and it was just as satisfying to watch it become defiled.

“You vile piece of shit,” you growled. In a quick and rash decision, you tried to kick out at him, but he caught your ankle and shook his head. Your side sent out rolling pangs of pain, though they were duller than before.

“I’ll give you one more chance, (Y/N),” Grant said, his face lowering into a glower. There was a lethal look in his eyes, and his fist tightened on your leg. “Stark knows what we want,” he said, his tone nonchalant and not matching his glare at all. “All he has to do is give it up, and we’ll let you go.” He nodded at you, then Daisy, but no one else.

You tried to pull your ankle from his grip, but Grant only held on tighter. His nails dug into your pant leg so deep and hard, you knew you’d have bruises and indents.

He looked up, into the chaos of the room and called, “You hear me, Stark? That’s the deal. Give me what we want, and the girls go free.”

 _The girls._ Those words rang in your head, confusing you even further than you already were. They left an unsettling feeling in your stomach as you winced from his fingers pushing even harder into your ankle.

You tried to throw your other leg out and managed to scrape Grant’s arm with the toe of your shoe. All it did was anger him further, though.

He pulled you over by the ankle until you were practically below him. “You’ll go when I _say_ you can go,” he snarled, somehow holding you even tighter in his grasp.

You gasped at the sharp pain that ran up your leg, but you couldn’t let it stun you for long. He’d made a mistake by dragging you closer. You threw a hand at his face, nails at the ready, and carefully tried to pry Tony’s stick from your back pocket with the other hand. Grant had to pick between your ankle and your wrist, and in the confusion, you were able to pull out the stick, press the button to elongate it, and find the second button.

Tony told you not to make contact with skin, but you didn’t care. Grant manipulated Daisy - your sister, the one person who was with you through thick and thin. He kidnapped her, used her for his own gain, _hurt her_ in more ways than one.

He got a hold on your wrist, but you simultaneously brought the stick to his neck and pressed the electrocution button. His face twisted in pain, his teeth bared, his whole body shaking. His grip on your arm loosened and you pulled the stick back from his neck, then kicked him in the face and watched as he rolled across the hard ground. His back hit the wall a few feet away, but you were already scrambling to get back to the rope around Daisy’s hands.

With heavy breaths, sweat breaking out along your forehead, and shaky hands, you felt for the knot on the inside of the rope. On your second try, it was easier to find, and you sighed when you were able to pull the ends apart and tug the rope away from Daisy. She slumped forward at first, as you undid the cloth tied to the back of her head. You rushed around her and kneeled, grabbing any part of her you could at first. She didn’t react, just moaned and sat forward, until you put your hands on her cheeks and made her look at you.

“Daisy,” you called, despite the fight still ringing around you. “Daisy, you have to get up. We need to get out of here.”

She groaned, but otherwise did nothing. Her eyes were mostly shut and her breathing was labored.

“Come on, D. If you get up, we can get help.” You tried shaking her shoulders, but it did nothing. You wondered if Grant had drugged her, and even the possibility made any guilt you felt for putting the stick to his skin fade.

You jumped when large hands gripped your shoulders - not harshly or too tightly, but almost familiar.

“I’ll get her up, you get her out,” you heard Thor say.

You looked back at him, unsure and confused and you didn’t know why. He was only trying to help. He wanted Daisy safe and happy, just like you. You knew it was more than selfish to even pretend that this had anything to do with you.

So you nodded and stepped back, keeping close in case anyone approached. Thor had Daisy up in no time, then he transferred her to you, slipping her arm across your shoulders. You supported her by putting an arm across her back, then looked to Thor again.

“Be careful,” he said. “We’ll be out in a minute.” Then he nodded and returned to the fight.

You pulled Daisy along, but she tripped on the first step. That seemed to wake her up, at least.

“D, we gotta move,” you told her.

She nodded this time, then hissed as she tried to stand on her own. Her legs gave out a bit, forcing her to lean on you, but she seemed to stabilize her feet enough to walk with your assistance.

“I’m so sorry, D,” you said as you went. “I’ve been so caught up in my own shit that I-”

“Shut,” she said, sucking in a breath, “up. Get. Out.” She managed to raise an arm and point toward the door, then take a step forward. She had to wait for you to catch up, and when you did, you took a deep breath and focused on moving. You could apologize later.

You were almost at the door when Phil and Melinda found the room. A renewed energy filled you at the sight of them, knowing you were almost there, almost safe. Daisy was almost done dealing with…whatever all of this was. You went faster, though Daisy’s groans stood in protest. Melinda came in first, right to you, and supported Daisy’s other side.

Just as Phil stepped into the room to help, there was an exceedingly loud bang and an even louder scream. But you recognized the voice again, and your heart stopped. You tried to look over your shoulder, but Daisy’s hair was in the way. When you looked back at Phil, his eyes were wider than they had been a second before.

He moved quickly to take your spot. “Go,” he told you, shifting Daisy’s arm from yours to his. “Get him out of here.”

_Him._

“What?” you asked as Daisy was wrenched from your side. You remembered that Phil was her father, that you’d done your job and gotten her as far as you could.

You let Daisy go.

“We’ll call an ambulance,” Melinda called as they went together as a group, faster than you’d been able to do on your own.

You turned and scanned the room. Smaller fights still raged, mostly one-on-one. Thor was nowhere to be seen until you looked back behind the chair Daisy had been in.

Grant had moved. Not far, and he wasn’t moving anymore, but you could see Thor’s boots not far from where you’d been a few minutes earlier. You rushed over, pushed the chair out of the way, and knelt down once more.

“Holy shit.”

Thor was sprawled out on the ground, mostly unharmed, except for the gash across his right eye. You looked for a weapon - anything that could’ve caused the bleeding, something to signify entry and exit wounds - but saw nothing. And you lost focus on it when Thor gripped your shoulder too tightly and groaned.

“Thor?” you asked, frantically leaning close to him. “Thor, can you hear me?”

He groaned again. You panicked. You needed something to stop the bleeding from his eye, and you needed to get him out of the room. But you couldn’t do it on your own - Thor was huge and bulky, and his dead weight was without a doubt too heavy to carry.

You did what you could to pull your arms behind the vest, but you could only do it one at a time. You got your elbows into your shirt, pulled your sleeves off, then pulled from the neck to get it out from under the vest and over your head. Then you bunched the cotton and leaned across Thor to press it to the eye.

“Hey,” you said to him, “you are _not_ allowed to leave! I need you-” You paused, bit your lip, and shook your head at the thoughts that entered. Memories. Happy ones that had no place in that darkened room. “I need you to get up, Thor,” you told him.

He slowly lifted his right hand to the shirt, still groaning. You felt like you could breathe again at just that simple movement.

“Hey, hey,” you said, “talk to me. Please. Say something.”

“Daisy?” he asked, his voice strained and weak.

You sighed, relieved he was actually responding. “She’d kill me if I left you here like this,” you said. Pushing hair behind your ear, you asked, “Can you sit up?”

“Don’…think so.”

“Please, Thor. Phil’s calling an ambulance. We just have to get outside. Please.” You hadn’t meant to beg, but you couldn’t stop once you’d started. You couldn’t lose Thor. Not like this. Not after he’d put aside the heartache you’d caused to save Daisy. Not when you knew Daisy wanted nothing more than what Thor wanted: for you to talk, to work something out. You needed that opportunity.

He put the palm closest to you against the floor. His good eye squinted as he pushed, slowly sitting up.

“Easy,” you said, putting your hand on his shoulder to help push. When he sat straight-ish, you gave him a minute to regain his breath.

You hadn’t noticed you’d started crying until you let out a shaky breath, too. “Thank you,” you whispered. You leaned close enough to him so he’d hear, your forehead against his temple, earning a short nod between heavy sighs and intakes.

“L-let’s go,” he said, bringing a leg up, then the other. You did what you could to support him, one hand on his back and the other on his elbow. He rose slowly, nearly fell twice, but somehow made it all the way up until he was stable. Mostly. You snuck his arm around your shoulders like you had with Daisy, then looked up at him.

He held your shirt to his eye still, and with his good eye, he looked back at you. You waited for him to say something - anything - but then he didn’t. He nodded, and that was it before he turned and dragged his feet. You followed his lead, slowly making your way to the door again.

You barely noticed when Clint joined. He supported Thor’s arm that held your shirt, his other arm across Thor’s back. You moved more quickly then, quietly winding the path through the halls of the warehouse. Clint seemed to know where he was going, which you were thankful for. You’d been distracted on the way in and couldn’t remember the way back.

Thor only started slumping when you heard the sound of engines running outside.

“No, no,” you urged, pulling him as much as you could. “We’re almost there.”

He took a deep breath, then fought to stand again. You and Clint pulled him the rest of the way down the final hallway, then through the doors and out into the fresh air of the early afternoon.

Two ambulances sat, waiting with their lights flashing. Daisy was strapped to a stretcher that was already loaded into one, an oxygen mask fixed to her mouth and nose. Melinda sat next to her, holding her hand to her lips. Phil waited by the other ambulance until Thor groaned again. Then he and three paramedics rushed over, pulling him from your grasp.

Your fingers tightened on his back before you could stop them.

“Miss, we need to get him loaded up,” one of the paramedics said. You couldn’t tell which one as your head spun. The thought of letting Thor go now, after everything, with Daisy so close she could yell at you for it all over again, made you dizzy.

You shook your head, but were still pulled off of Thor.

“(Y/N), go with him,” Phil told you. “I already called Loki. He’s on his way to the hospital.”

You did as you were told, without thinking twice. You didn’t even thank Clint for his help before you followed the paramedics, watching on as they strapped Thor in securely, lifted him into the truck, and instructed you to stay by his side.

You were never leaving it again, if you had anything to say about it.


	13. I've Gotten In Over My Head

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You deal with the aftermath of saving Daisy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Playlist can be found [here!](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3LH4wkpZCGGjuXMLmIoozA)

You forgot you’d given Thor your shirt until you got to the hospital. Paramedics and nurses rushed Thor into surgery immediately. Cold, strong hands held you back when you tried to follow, and let you go when he was gone. The next thing you knew, you were being led to a bathroom, where you pulled the vest off and put on a spare scrub you’d been handed.

After you splashed your face with water from the sink, you left the bathroom. A nurse was waiting for you, and she walked with you to the waiting room.

“The doctors wanted to make sure you were okay, too,” she said. “Your husband was in pretty bad shape-”

“We’re not- I mean, he’s not my-” you tried. You sighed and looked into the waiting room. Slowly you got out, “We’re not married.”

Loki sat in the far corner of the room, chin resting in a palm as he leaned on the arm of his seat. He noticed you and stood, his jaw tight and eyes full of something you’d never seen on him before.

Worry. Fear. Discomfort.

“Let us know if you need anything,” the nurse said before she left.

You went into the waiting room on autopilot, gravitating toward the only somewhat familiar thing in your sight. Loki waited until you’d sat to sit himself, and when he did, he faced you.

“What happened?” he asked, his voice a small whisper.

This was nothing like the man you’d tried to spar with months ago. This Loki was tiny, terrified, quiet. His hair was mussed, and he was wearing two different socks.

“I don’t…know,” you whispered back. “I was getting Daisy out and he made a noise and when I turned around, he was down. Something happened to his eye-”

“His eye?”

You shrugged. “By the time I made it to him, he was bleeding and…and…” It all flashed in your mind, but nothing made sense. Images were out of order. The too-clean smell of the hospital filled your senses and drowned everything out except for the image of Thor on the ground, dying slowly until you’d taken your shirt off and told him to get up.

“They said he needed surgery,” Loki said, still quietly, almost broken.

With a nod, you told him, “I doubt they’ll be able to fix what’s been done.” Then you sat back, unable to decide if you were talking about Thor’s eye or what you’d done to him before today. Everything was a mess and you had trouble not telling yourself that it was all your fault.

If only you’d stayed. If only you’d told Loki to fuck off months ago. If only you’d been brave enough to stand up for your relationship. If only you’d told Thor you loved him after the auction, like you’d been planning. If only you’d talked to him after Loki had come for you, metaphorical knives at the ready. If only you’d been quicker after Phil told you to go to him today.

_If only._

//

Hours went by with few updates from nurses. Phil and Melinda came and found you and sat with you for a bit, but eventually they went back to Daisy’s room. They insisted you stay and wait for Thor. Daisy was asleep anyway.

“And she’d kill you if you ever left Thor like that again,” Phil said, patting your knee, despite Loki being right beside you the whole time.

When they left, Loki sighed. “I would, too, you know,” he mumbled.

You turned your attention to him with questions in your eyes.

“I’d kill you if you left.” He paused, his eyes widening a bit. “That sounds much more threatening out loud than I meant it, I assure you.”

You tried to smile, and it at least seemed to comfort him a bit.

“I owe you an explanation and an apology and probably more, and I’ll deny any of it ever happening if you get up and leave.”

“I’m not going anywhere, Loki.”

“Good.” He sighed, nodding more to himself than to you, it appeared. “Because my brother hasn’t been himself since you left. He tries, but he’s not the same.” Something else you hadn’t seen on his face before takes over.

 _Guilt._ You try not to feel too proud about that.

“I’ve seen him heartbroken. I’ve seen him disappointed and frustrated and upset over women before, but not like this.” His clear eyes held sincerity as he went on, which made you believe every word. “Nothing makes him happy. And, I assume, you know what he’s normally like.”

 _Cheery_ came to mind. _Friendly. Smiling for the hell of it._ You nodded.

“Normally, I can rather accurately predict how his relationships will go. I don’t have to scare women off because they don’t stay. When he came to get me that morning, he couldn’t stop talking about you. I’d never heard him say so much about one person before.” Loki hardly blinked. His eyes searched yours for something, but you were too focused on what he said to worry about what he wanted to see. “I knew he was in deep, and my instinct was to get him out as quickly as possible because he does the same for me whenever I need him to.”

You’d had your suspicions over time, but Loki all but confirmed that that’s where Thor had been the morning you’d come downstairs in Thor’s shirt and your panties and found him lounging on the couch without warning. Thor had been getting Loki out of some sticky situation or another, and you finally had reason to believe it wasn’t the first time he’d done it.

And that made what you’d done all that more painful to think about. You had so much to apologize for. You just needed him to make it out of whatever Grant had done.

“He was in deeper than I’d expected. Deeper than any depth from which I’d pulled him before.” He sighed and finally turned his eyes down, no longer keeping direct contact with you. “So I told him what I said. This morning, after he’d gotten off the phone with you. I told him it was me who pushed you away, because he deserved to know.”

“You did?” you asked, tilting your head to one side. You received a single nod in return.

“And I apologized to him, but he told me, and I quote, ‘Save it for her.’ So here we are.” He took a second, sighed, and returned his gaze to yours. “(Y/N), I am sorry. I was…out of line and disrespectful. You were right, I didn’t know you, and I should’ve at least seen you together before I said what I said.”

You were stunned. Loki had been so sure of his assessment that morning. There’d been no reason to think he would ever tell Thor what he’d said, as it’d been too _awful_ and presumptive. And if he truly wanted his brother to side with him, he’d never reveal what he’d said.

But he did. Because Thor wasn’t himself without you. Because Thor wasn’t himself _because_ of you. You wondered which was truer; was it your absence, or the way you’d created that absence?

The only way to find out was to ask Thor, when he was conscious enough to talk.

“I hope your staying with him on the drive over here, and the fact that you’ve stayed this long will fare well for him,” you heard Loki practically whisper. “I want my brother back.”

You nodded without thinking, but once you started, you knew it was the right move. You weren’t going anywhere this time.

“I’d hoped he’d forget me. But it…doesn’t seem like he has.” You tried not to smile too wide at that, or make it seem like you took any kind of pleasure from saying it, even though you did. “I’ll stay as long as he wants me.”

//

A little while later, the nurse from before came into the room. Her face was plain and unemotive, which you tried not to freak out over. She was an Emergency Room nurse, after all, and she sat in the seat across from you and Loki and took a minute before she started talking. Your heart beat a million miles a minute as her silence stretched on.

Then, finally, “He’s in recovery.” She waited until you and Loki breathed again before continuing. “The procedure went off without a hitch, but, unfortunately, his eye wasn’t salvageable,” she said, wringing her hands in her lap.

Loki scoffed. “I’d call that a hitch if I’ve ever heard one,” he mumbled.

The nurse shrugged. “I just wanted to give you a heads up. Involuntary loss of limbs and organs doesn’t usually fare well-”

“I _wonder_ why,” Loki interrupted.

You glared at him, as did the nurse.

“We usually suggest counseling when something like this happens,” she said, her eyes slowly leaving Loki for you. “He’ll need a stable support system for a bit. There are options for replacements, but they’re pricey and don’t always work.”

“But he’s alive,” you said, sitting forward. When the nurse nodded, you asked her, “Is he awake?”

“Barely,” she said. “A little groggy, but more talkative than I usually see. He keeps asking for someone named Fenrir?”

“That would be my dog,” Loki said, standing suddenly. “Would you take us to him?”

The nurse glanced up at him, then back to you.

“Please,” you whispered. “We need to see him.”

She nodded. “I can take one of you back with me at a time. We’re waiting on the surgeon’s decision to keep him overnight for surveillance. There’s not much room back there right now.”

You and Loki shared a look then. You didn’t know who should go first, so you sat silently. Loki conceded, apparently, because he slowly lowered himself back into his chair and nodded.

“You go,” he said softly. “I know he’d rather see you right now.”

You almost made a joke about not being Fenrir, but decided against it. Instead, you thanked Loki and gripped his cool hand in yours briefly. “I won’t take too long,” you promised.

He turned his lips in to a half-smile and nodded before you followed the nurse out of the room and through countless hallways. She finally brought you into an open room, lined along each wall with beds. Some were occupied, others empty. Nurses and doctors moved about the space, pushing carts and computers and equipment you didn’t recognize. Some beds were guarded by flimsy curtains, some were open to the center of the room.

The nurse took you across the room, around the center bathrooms, to the back corner of the space. She pushed back part of a curtain and allowed you in. “I’ll be back in a few minutes. He’s been saying he’s hungry,” she told you before she disappeared.

You didn’t reply. You couldn’t, even if you wanted to. Your eyes were glued to Thor’s face, half-wrapped in gauze. Layers of it. His right eye was gone. You knew it even if you couldn’t see the empty socket or the closed lids.

But his left one was open, as was his mouth. If you ignored the gauze, he looked just like he did when he woke up from a good nap. Even more so when his mouth tipped up into a small smile.

“Hey,” he called slowly. His voice sounded distant and cracked, like he was only half-there. “You’re here.”

You nodded. “How do you feel?” you asked, taking a tentative step toward his left side.

“A lil’ itchy,” he mumbled as you got closer. “But you’re here.” When you were near enough, he put a hand on the railing of his bed, palm up, fingers open.

It felt like instinct to reach out and put your hand in his. You did it without even looking, just knowing it was right. Even though his skin was colder than you remembered, dry and rough when it was normally soft and smooth, he felt _right_.

How you’d ever walked away from him without totally destroying yourself, you’d never know. Even in his droopy, hazy state, you knew he was the best part of your life. Thor was perfect - a gentleman, kind and generous and adoring. He made you feel like you weren’t just some ameture artist, or just some fat girl with ambitions beyond her reach. He gave you confidence, showed you why he believed in your work, gave only love to your curves and marks.

It was cheesy to think, you knew, but he made you feel like a Princess. And the second you thought that, you missed the feeling more than you’d ever missed anything else.

You’d convinced yourself that he was better off without you, but after your talk with Loki in the waiting room, you knew that wasn’t true. You certainly knew, now more than ever, that you weren’t better off without him.

You wanted to tell him how you felt, just like you did at the auction. But now wasn’t the right time. The hospital wasn’t the right place, and Thor wasn’t in the right state of mind to remember or react much.

So instead, you leaned down and gently left a kiss on his forehead. His remaining eye closed briefly, and he breathed heavily when your skin met his. When you stood tall again, he looked at you and smiled.

“Thanks, Honey,” he said, like nothing had passed between you at all since that first encounter with Loki. “You’re real warm.”

“Of course, baby,” you said quietly. You went to run your fingers through his hair like you were so used to doing, but stopped short. The gauze was wrapped around his head, through his hair and around his right ear. You didn’t want to cause him any more discomfort than you already had, so you brought your hand lower and traced his free ear softly. “I’m sorry,” you whispered.

“Nah,” he said back. “No, we’re good. We’re good.”

You reminded yourself to know better. You’d come back to apologizing later, when he was in a better listening mood.

For now, you were grateful that he was alive. Missing eye or no, you’d gotten him out of the warehouse in time. You’d made it to the hospital, and he was going to see the next day. That was what mattered.

//

You let Loki have his time with his brother a little while later. You made sure to exchange numbers before he went off, and before long, he sent a text to let you know they’d moved him to a room for the night. Then you went off and found Daisy’s room, where Aunt Melinda was in bed with her and Uncle Phil sat in the side chair. They were all watching television and eating Chinese takeout, but they focused on you when you came in.

“Sorry I didn’t make it up here sooner, D,” you said, leaning down to kiss her hair.

“Shut up,” she said, feigning disgust at your touch. She laughed and shook her head. “I would’ve killed you if you hadn’t gone with Thor.”

You chuckled, too. “Yeah, I know. That’s why I did.”

“That’s not why you did it,” Aunt Melinda said, a knowing smirk settling on her face. “But we all knew you would if she didn’t.” She winked back at Daisy and took a bite of her egg roll.

“How is he?” Uncle Phil asked.

You froze, and three sets of eyes widened and landed on you. “Well,” you said, “he’s alive. Waking up, slowly. They’re keeping him overnight.”

“What for?” Daisy asked, her brows lowering in confusion.

Clearing your throat, you forced yourself to breathe. _Don’t cry_ you told yourself. _They don’t need to see that now._ But it was difficult saying what you needed to say. If you said it, it was real. Despite having seen Thor already, _saying_ it made it real.

But you had to. “Grant, um,” you started, keeping your eyes from Daisy’s face. “He got Thor pretty good across his right eye. The nurse said the surgeon couldn’t save the eye so…”

“So he’s gonna look like a pirate,” Daisy said, an obvious attempt to lighten your mood. It was amazing, how she bounced back from you saying Grant’s name like that. But it was her prerogative. You knew, eventually, she’d either have to or want to talk about what happened with Grant, but for now, you’d let her ignore the name and continue on.

You nodded. “I guess so. But I don’t think he realizes it yet.”

“Well of course not,” Aunt Melinda said. “The poor man just got out of surgery!”

“Is someone with him now?” Uncle Phil asked, standing before you had the chance to stop him.

You nodded again. “Loki was waiting when I got here, thanks to you. He’s gonna stay the night and let me know what the surgeon’s decision is tomorrow.”

“And where are you gonna go?” Daisy asked.

With a shrug, you told her, “Home, probably. Or, I don’t know, someone has to take care of Fenrir, I guess.”

“Yes!” she said. “Yes! Go back there! Move in right now, I swear to God-”

“Daisy, please,” Aunt Melinda said, shaking her head. “Don’t excite yourself right now. You’ve got three bruised ribs.”

“Sorry,” she mumbled. “I’d just like to see my friends happy again.”

You smiled and kissed her hair again. “Thanks, D. But I’m not moving in right now. I still owe him the biggest apology ever given in the entire history of the world, so…” You rolled your eyes to the side at yourself.

“That’s an understatement,” she said, scrunching her face playfully at you. “But taking care of his dog might be a good start.”

//

You did just that; after a brief conversation with Loki while Thor rested, you took Loki’s house key (because you’d left yours on Thor’s dresser months ago) and Thor’s car keys, and had Uncle Phil drop you off at the parking lot by the warehouse. You drove as carefully as you could, following navigation without distracting music or noise.

When you finally made it to Thor’s house again, you felt your shoulders fall. It felt good being back, since you weren’t nervous anymore.

You went inside, got Fenrir ready for a walk, and headed back out. He didn’t take long to do his business, and when you came back to the house, you fed him and gave him fresh water before trudging upstairs.

You wondered if you should go into Thor’s room. It almost didn’t seem right to barge in, even if he wasn’t there. The last time you’d been in that room, you left your key. You’d cleared the last of your stuff out of the bathroom. You’d kissed him goodnight before going downstairs to your car and driving home, and the next day, you’d ignored his texts for as long as you could manage. The last time you’d been in that room had been the last time you were in the house. To go in there now, alone? The thought nearly had you running again.

But you weren’t alone. Fenrir crept up behind you as you stared at the door. His wet, cold nose pressed against your leg, as if to egg you on toward the door. You sighed, looked down at him, and mumbled a soft, “I’m sorry, buddy,” for leaving him, too.

You went to the door and slowly turned the handle. Everything inside was in order; the bed was made, Thor’s shoes were in a line by the wall, his television was off and his remote was on his bedside table. Everything was in order, except for the table next to the side of the bed you used to occupy.

There was a small velvet box on it. Long and thin, too big to be a ring box. The right size for a bracelet, though.

You turned the light on and went over to the bed, sitting on what used to be your side. The sheets were cold, at least until Fenrir jumped up on the mattress and sat behind you.

You brought the box to your face and hesitated to open it. The thought felt even worse than you’d felt staring at the door. But you wondered how long Thor had been keeping whatever was inside. How long had it been sitting on that table, waiting for you to return?

Was it even for you?

How could it not be, after what Loki said in the waiting room? But even if it was, it still didn’t feel right to peek at it. Not without Thor there, to see your reaction. To talk about what it meant, where you both were, why you left. So you placed the box back down and stood again. You looked back at Fenrir, who lifted his head at your action.

“I’ll be back in a bit, buddy. You stay,” you told him. Then you went to the bathroom, stripped out of the dirty jeans and the scrub, and stepped into his shower. Since you’d taken all of your things from the bathroom, you only had Thor’s products to use, and honestly? If nothing else felt right, at least that did. You stepped out of the shower a little while later, smelling distinctly of Thor, and your heart felt light and easy for the first time in months.

You wrapped the towel he’d left hanging on the door around your body, just like you would’ve done if he’d been in the next room. When you stepped into the bedroom, you shivered as the cool air touched your warm skin. You went to his dresser and nearly teared up.

He still had your clothes in neat piles. When you picked them up, you remembered leaving them, thinking it was best for you to leave some trace of yourself. For some reason. Why would that be a good idea? It seemed ridiculous now, absolutely ludicrous. Stupid. Almost evil. How could you think that would comfort him?

Your clothes smelled of him, though. There was no hint of your scent on the shirts you picked up, or the one pair of shorts you’d left. So you pulled on a pair of the panties he’d kept, but ended up going for one of his shirts. It was one of your favorites - a maroon v-neck he’d wear on his days off, after working out and showering. It always smelled like Clean, Fresh Thor, just like it did now. It was soft against your shoulders and hips, just like he always was.

Instead of getting into bed on your side, you slipped in on his. Fenrir stretched out on your side, and you fell asleep inhaling Thor’s essence through his pillow.


	14. My Broken Pieces, You Pick Them Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dealing with the aftermath is the second hardest thing you've ever had to do, but you get a little sweetness back in your life because of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Playlist can be found [here!](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3LH4wkpZCGGjuXMLmIoozA)
> 
> Also, only one more chapter! :D

You spent a good portion of the next day cleaning. You washed dishes and put away anything Tony Stark had left out in the office - mostly little shiny devices you couldn’t figure out if you wanted to. You vacuumed and did so much laundry you thought you’d drown in it.

But you had to. Thor’s bed couldn’t smell like you. His clothes couldn’t smell like you because you weren’t picking right back up where you’d left off. You weren’t attempting to reverse time without him there, so you did your best to, once again, scrub his house of any sign of you. Only this time, it really was to keep him comfortable.

Around lunch time, you got a text from Loki: _He’s asking about you._

You told him you’d be around in a bit with food. Real food, not hospital food. You took Fenrir on a walk first, then promised him someone would be home in a bit to keep him company again. And before you slipped out the door, you thanked him for doing just that for you the night before.

You picked up food in the Ranger Rover before the nerves set in. The last time you saw Thor, he was coming out of anesthetic. He’d hardly had a coherent thought the day before, but now…

Now you’d be facing both him and Loki in the same room, after everything that had happened. There were so many things that could happen, so many conversations to be had, that the opportunities overwhelmed you.

When you made it up to the third floor of the hospital and found the room, you were glad you’d gotten extra food. At least, at first you were. Hilde was there, too, which automatically put you further on edge than you already were.

This felt like an ambush, so you kept quiet. You handed out food, then excused yourself for coffee. That’s what you’d told them all, anyway.

You didn’t make it far before someone gripped your elbow. For half a second, you forgot where you were and hoped it was Thor, but when you turned, you faced Hilde.

Facing her was worse than facing Thor somehow.

She held onto you too tightly, but it got your attention. “You’re just gonna run every time you’re around him now?” she asked, her eyes as flat as her tone.

You couldn’t meet her gaze after only a second. Her hand on your arm scorched just as hot as her words. “No, I-” But you had nothing to say. Your feet had moved faster than your head, faster than reason and logic. Your instincts were only making you out to be worse than you already felt.

“You didn’t even text me. Not a call. Nothing. You cut him off, and you cut off all your friends, and now you’re running away from us?”

She was trying to keep her voice as flat as it had been, but you could hear the sadness, the betrayal peek through. And you knew you deserved it. You wondered if Loki had told Hilde what he’d said, like he’d told Thor. It wouldn’t make sense for him to have done so, if she was confronting you like this.

“I had to get out,” you said, barely above a whisper.

“I can’t fathom why,” she said, stepping back. “He was crazy about you, we all loved you. Everything was fine at the wedding.”

“The wedding was a long time ago,” you muttered, not meaning to sound half as irritated as you did. It wasn’t really irritation you felt. It was guilt that, apparently, would only manifest itself as growling anger.

“No, it wasn’t.” You saw her shake her head out of the corner of your vision but still couldn’t meet her eyes. “Something happened. Neither of them will tell me what, but I know something happened, and whatever it was, it drove you away.” She took a second. Hilde didn’t seem to come to an epiphany or anything, but she did shift in her spot. And when she spoke again, her voice was softer, despite how much her words hurt to hear. “Why did you come here if you were just going to walk away from him again?”

You shook your head. “I’m not, I just needed-” But you stopped yourself, because you weren’t sure _what_ you needed.

“What?” she asked. “What else could you possibly require?”

She made you sound selfish, but she had reason to think you were. Multiple reasons, probably.

“A second!” you said, louder than you meant to. Some of the nurses across the hall stopped and watched as you finally looked at her again. “I needed a second to catch my breath, okay? Two days ago, I was beating myself into misery over walking away from him - the best thing to ever happen to me - because I’m an insecure piece of shit!” You were yelling, even though a little voice in the back of your head told you security would be up at any moment to pull you out of the hospital if you kept at it. Didn’t stop you, though.

“Yesterday, my cousin was kidnapped by a guy she thought she could trust and I was forced to ask Thor for help and what did that get me? Open wounds, a broken family, and an ex with one eye because I was stupid enough to involve him in the absolute mess I’ve made of everything!” You ran your hands over your forehead, groaning as a nurse began to approach. “And today, I woke up in his bed, knowing I didn’t belong there, and then walked right into a room where I was _bound_ to be ambushed for explanations.”

The nurse stood back as you breathed heavily.

“Is that what you wanted to hear, Hilde?” you asked, practically shaking in the middle of the hallway.

For some reason, she softened. You’d only see her do that around one another person - her wife. But now, apparently, the easing of tension in her shoulders was reserved for you.

Honestly, now that you’d gotten everything out, you felt relieved. Stressed, yes, and anxious for whatever conversation came after, but relieved anyway.

And then Hilde had her arms wrapped around you. She didn’t seem like the hugging type, but maybe she made concessions for friends. Even if that friend was really the ex of one of her best friends. “Not really,” she said, “but close.”

You slumped against her, giving up the fight. Giving in to the support. Accepting everything - what happened before, what was happening at that minute, and what was still to come. You’d made it that far, and everything leading up to this point had to have happened for some reason, one way or another.

When she let you go, you stood back and wiped at your eyes, despite not shedding tears. It just felt right to do, like you were really wiping some of the tension you’d been carrying since you’d left Thor away. More of it, anyway, because the last twenty-four hours had done a lot of that already.

“C’mon,” Hilde said. “The food’s getting cold, and he really does want to see you.” She gripped your hand like you’d known her your whole life, then pulled you back around the floor to Thor’s room. You don’t even pretend to hesitate before following her inside.

“Are you done with the dramatics?” Loki asked, dark eyebrows raised at you.

You noticed, for the first time, how much he looked nothing at all like Thor. Thor was tall and broad and blond, while Loki was (also tall but) lean with black hair and green eyes. They didn’t look like brothers at all, if you thought about it.

But you decided it didn’t matter. It wasn’t like you didn’t consider Daisy your sister, though there wasn’t a single shared gene between you. You knew from first hand experience that family didn’t always come in a pretty little package.

You nodded as he stood from the seat beside Thor’s bed. Loki pointed to the seat, but before you could refuse it, he’d already come across the room toward Hilde.

“We actually are going to get coffee, so don’t mind us,” he said before they left.

Your eyes had found Thor’s before he’d pushed past you. Suddenly, you were stuck. The chair was empty and there was a wrapped hamburger waiting for you on its arm, but you couldn’t move. You didn’t know what to say or where to look, other than at Thor’s one remaining blue eye.

On the tail end of a sigh, you let you a small, “Hi.” And you couldn’t believe that, after everything that had happened the day before, _that_ was the first thing you said to him. To this man that you loved, the man you’d hurt more than anyone you’d ever hurt before. But you weren’t going to be angry about that anymore; you wanted apologize and see what happened from there, so either way, you were done feeling sorry for yourself.

“I love that shirt,” he said, looking from your eyes down to your torso.

You looked down, too, and remembered what you’d hurried to put on this morning. It was just a v-neck with your favorite Disney character on it, something you’d gotten from Torrid a couple years ago. But it was one of the ones you’d kept at Thor’s place because he saw you painting in it one morning and told you he loved it then, too.

With a little, breathy chuckle, you nodded. “Yeah well my cousin’s douchebag ex ruined the shirt I was wearing yesterday.”

He laughed, too, his smile actually stretching from one side of his face to the other. His one eyebrow rose as he looked at the bed instead of at you now.

You bit your lip and went over to the empty chair next to him. You weren’t even really hungry anymore, so you sat in the chair and ignored the hamburger for the time being. You knew what you were about to say would sound dumb and misguided, but you still asked: “How’re you feeling?”

Thor turned his head toward you. You were thankful that it was his left eye that was spared, since the chair you were in was in the left corner of the room.

“Relieved that Daisy’s safe,” he said. “She came down earlier to visit. Melinda wasn’t too happy because she came down without doctor’s permission, but you know Daisy.”

You nodded. “That I do.” You tried not to notice that he didn’t answer in regards to himself. It wasn’t his fault, after all, that you’d shut him out. He deserved the opportunity to guard himself if he wanted it. Still, you asked him, “Any word on when you’ll get to go home?”

He shrugged. “Tomorrow, most likely. The surgeon just wants to make sure I don’t get an infection.” He paused to shovel a few fries into his mouth. When he’d swallowed, he looked back at you again. “It’s a little weird, you know? I’ve only got one eye now.”

He’d said it so…calmly. It shocked you. All you could do was stare at first, but you made sure to hold his gaze, rather than looking at the gauze over his empty socket. Before you thought about it, you reached out and put your hand in the one of his that was closest to you. Thor stiffened, but at the same time that you were able to speak again, he relaxed.

“I’m so, so sorry, Thor. If I’d just turned around sooner or- or, I don’t even know. If I’d gotten Grant longer with that stick thing-”

“You would’ve killed him,” he said quietly. “He was barely conscious when he got me. I just wasn’t paying attention…” You went to shake your head, but he squeezed your hand first. “It wasn’t your fault, (Y/N). I wouldn’t even be here if you hadn’t come back for me. So…thank you.”

“Then I’m sorry for everything else,” you said, breathing heavily again. Your chest tightened and your free hand felt cold, and you didn’t think it had much to do with the fact that you were sitting in a hospital. “For everything I did. You were right yesterday morning. I should’ve talked to you.” You looked away, unable to watch him watch you now. “I should’ve said something. Everything would be different if I’d fucking said something.”

He squeezed your hand again, but even that couldn’t pull your eyes back to his. Your throat closed, and you felt the beginnings of a headache forming in the back of your head. Crying like this always made you tired and achy. You hated it.

But you weren’t done apologizing. “I was wrong to leave. I was so fucking _stupid_. I thought I was protecting you from rumors and the shitty things people would say about us being together, but that wasn’t it. It never was. Loki got in my head, and even though I trusted you, I still let my insecurities convince me I wasn’t good enough. I’d ruin you or…some stupid archaic shit like that.”

You leaned forward until your forehead met the hard plastic of the railing on the side of Thor’s bed. Everything hurt. You sucked in a wet breath, sniffling through your nose before you shut your eyes.

“You made me feel like a goddamn princess, Thor,” you managed to get out. “And I just…wanted to thank you for that, because I’ve made so many mistakes, but you were never one of them.”

You expected him to let go of your hand, to let you go with a few pleasant words before asking you to leave. But that didn’t make sense. He’d been asking about you all morning, according to both Loki and Hilde. And he kept your hand in his, gently pushing your fingers together intermittently to remind you he was still there. Right next to you. Listening to everything.

“You are that special,” he said quietly. “I knew it the second Daisy introduced us at that club. I’ve known it every single day since then, even after you’d left your key and walked out of my life.”

He drew a ragged breath, the sound calling your attention back to his face. He was crying too, so you removed your hand from his and pushed tears away as they fell.

“Please don’t,” you requested. He deserved better than to cry over you. That was one of only two sure thoughts in your head. The other was that you absolutely, one-hundred percent loved him.

“I just,” he whispered, shutting his eye as you continued to wipe tears away. “I miss you. A lot. More than I should, after everything.”

You nodded. “Me too.” It was all you had to say in that moment. Because right then, your feelings only mattered so much. That hospital room still wasn’t the right place to tell him what you felt. It wasn’t the right time, since you were still unsure of where you stood.

You were giving him the opportunity to back out. You wanted him to choose, to decide if he was willing to let you back in or not. And if he wasn’t, you’d be okay. One day. You knew you’d deserve that decision. You’d go up to Daisy’s room and distract yourself until you went home, and then you’d deal with the pain of rejection from there.

But instead of all of that, instead of pushing you away, Thor reached up to push his fingers through yours again. The warmth of his skin felt so right, so good, like he belonged right up against you always.

“So,” he said quietly, “what if, instead of missing one another, we just…went back to not doing that?” He brought the back of your hand up to his lips and kissed your knuckles, and your fingers tightened around his on instinct. “What if you came back and painted while I worked out again? What if I never let you walk out my door again?”

Tilting your head to be level with him, you sighed and felt a smile creep over your face. “What if,” you started, “we moved your office upstairs and gave Loki a room of his own downstairs?” You knew it wasn’t exactly an answer, but you hoped he heard the confirmation in your voice. You pulled his hand back to your lips and kissed his knuckles as his eye fixed on you. “We can all have our own privacy that way, and then he doesn’t have to sleep on your couch or an air mattress or something.”

He smiled slowly, pulling you up out of the chair by your joined hands. Thor moved across the bed, pushing himself all the way back against the far railing. He kept pulling, so you climbed up into the bed, too, laying on your side to face him.

“And please,” you said, “don’t ever let me walk out again. That was the stupidest fucking thing I ever did.”

//

Thor was released the next day, like he’d said. Loki and Hilde brought him home; she drove the Range Rover back, given that he wasn’t allowed to drive at all until an optical surgeon gave him permission. He had to get used to seeing the world through one eye instead of two.

After you went home - to Phil and Melinda’s house - to check in on Daisy and grab clothes and toiletries, you called out, “Going to Thor’s, dunno when I’ll be back.” Then you left, your drive across town interrupted only by the litany of text messages Daisy sent, all excited and reverent and demanding of an explanation.

You’d give it to her later.

When you pulled in next to the Range Rover, you felt more relaxed than you had in months. Everything felt _right_ , like you were supposed to be right there. Like maybe things between you and Hilde could be better, and maybe things between you and Loki were still…strained. Sure.

But Thor was in there. Thor, the man that you loved more than you’d ever loved anyone. The man you’d almost let go of forever. The man that had to feel similarly to you, because if he didn’t, he definitely wouldn’t have asked you to come back. He wouldn’t smile at you when you rang the doorbell, or kiss you in front of his best friend and brother before he’d ever let you in the house. He wouldn’t take your bag from you as you came into the foyer or lead you upstairs just after you greeted Hilde and Loki.

But he did all of those things. And when you made it to his bedroom, he put your bag on the end of the bed and faced you, fresh gauze wrapped around his head to cover the his right eye. He didn’t stop smiling as he wrapped you in his arms - his huge, warm arms that always made you feel wanted and delicate, not in a breakable way, but in a way that proved his worthiness.

“You sure you’re ready to date a pirate?” he asked, pulling you as close as you would get, your chests flush against one another.

And you knew. You’d been waiting all this time for _the right time_ , and since he was upright and smiling and in his house, his room, you knew.

“I’m positive that I’m in love with a pirate, actually,” you told him quietly, smile spreading on your face too, despite the anxious nerves you felt all along your back. You pecked his lips quickly, and your hands settled on his biceps. “A pirate that’s gotta be part angel, too, because he’s too damn good for this world.”

Your heart pounded as you waited for his response. You reminded yourself that he didn’t have to say it back if he wasn’t ready. You’d broken his heart. Maybe he’d been ready to say it before, but then you’d shattered the trust he’d had in you, so you could understand if he didn’t want to reciprocate the feelings then. You’d wait, since it seemed like he was willing to get back to that place.

But you also didn’t want to presume. Assuming that he’d ever been at the same place that you had might only leave you both a little more broken. So you attempted to comfort him, to show him that it was okay if these feelings were one-sided. For now. You kept smiling softly to hide the panic you felt in your chest.

He let you go, and you watched him go around the bed to the table on your side. He picked up the box you’d found two nights before, the one you didn’t open because, at the time, it almost felt sacreligious. He brought it back over to you and pulled the top up so you could see what it was inside.

A long, thin silver chain, folded twice on itself. Thor picked it up out of the box and let the length fall, a bulky charm at the end dangling between you. You put your hand out and pulled the charm up to inspect it.

Mjölnir.

You looked up at Thor with questions in your eyes, still waiting on his reply to your confession. The necklace didn’t connect without an explanation.

“I bought this for you when you, uh.” He cleared his throat. “When you’d started taking your things home. To Phil and Melinda’s. I thought… I don’t know, really. Maybe, if I showed you I appreciated you, you’d…stay.”

Your chest tightened and your heart sank into your small intestine. But you needed to hear him finish.

“It was ridiculous of me to think a gift would’ve changed everything, especially now that I know what happened.” He unclasped the necklace and held the two ends separately, one in each hand. “But I had it specially made for you. Took me awhile to realize I’d done it because I wanted to show you how much I love you. Instead of just, y’know, saying it.”

Slowly, you turned your gaze back to the hammer at the end of the necklace. You could see the intricate details, some of which matched your painting, though others were closer to the real thing. The one Thor had taken out of storage to encourage your art, to make sure you followed your passion and did what you loved.

You’d loved him for much longer than you’d realized.

You turned around and held your hair up, and he brought the chain around, pulling the ends through the holes your arms made. It took him a few tries, but eventually he got the clasp fastened, and when you turned back around, the necklace fell into place. You were surprised at how light the charm was, but kept it to yourself.

“I love you, (Y/N). And maybe I should be more careful about saying that right now, but I don’t care. I didn’t say it before everything went down, and then I lost you. I’m not making that mistake again.”

You put a hand on his left cheek, the other going to the right side of his neck. You pulled Thor to you, afraid that if you didn’t, he’d disappear, and all of this would too. Like Cinderella or something. You weren’t willing to let midnight ruin everything.

Your kiss was sweet and slow, deep and a little sad. Sad because it’d taken so much to get the words out. Sad because there was still a lot to work through between you, because you’d hurt him and there was no ignoring that. But more than the sadness, there was eagerness, happiness, and a sugary-sweet taste that left you wanting more. Forever.


	15. Sugar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life after the accident isn't so bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Playlist can be found [here!](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3LH4wkpZCGGjuXMLmIoozA)
> 
> This is it! The end! :D I'm so grateful for everyone who left comments and gave kudos! Thank you for reading and enjoying -- P

You were still getting used to the inside of the Stark Industries infirmary. You were also getting used to the fact that Stark had his own infirmary in the same building where he conducted business, and he had a full staff of doctors and nurses and even a few top-ranked surgeons. One of those doctors, a shy, middle-aged man with salt-and-pepper curls and a soft voice, had taken on Thor as a patient for one very specific reason.

Dr. Banner was a physician, yes, but he had _seven_ PhDs. You’d thought Thor was special with his six bachelors degrees, but Bruce blew him out of the water. He was also a genius scientist, as much of an inventor as Stark himself, only maybe stretched thinner by a lack of the Stark family’s generous inheritance.

You’d heard he had something of a temper (from Stark himself), but for the last couple of months, Bruce Banner had been nothing but polite, if a little introverted. He was patient and willing to work as long and hard as was necessary, occasionally even suffering through Stark’s unending puns and often inappropriate humor. You thought Banner was a saint, but not just for that reason.

As you came around the examination table Banner had asked Thor to sit on, you hoped, again, that this would be the last session. Bruce and Tony had said it _might_ be. They may need to fit the piece again, to make sure it fit perfectly and took well, but you wanted this all to be over. Not because it was particularly hard to go through - you and Thor were lucky that it wasn’t, actually - but because you were ready to move on. Thor was stuck on this, and you didn’t blame him for it, but it was time.

Time for him to focus on the future. Time for him to listen to you when you told him you didn’t mind the eyepatch at all. You liked it, not that you were ever going to stop him from pursuing the promises made by Bruce and Tony. You just…wanted to see him content again.

“What if we went to Australia soon?” you asked, moving to stand in front of him so you could distract him from whatever it was Bruce was fiddling with across the room. “Or if we went back to Sweden? Ooh, or Norway?”

He looked up at you with his one eye and smirked. “I’m sure Hilde would love it if we went to Norway. She’d have an excuse to drink her way through her favorite bars,” he said, leaning into the hand you put on his cheek.

“I miss your friends,” you told him.

He shrugged and said, “Your friends, too.”

But you weren’t so sure anymore. All of them - Sif and Volstagg, Hogun and his wife, Hilde and hers, and Fandral - had all gotten explanations from you, either directly or indirectly, in the last few months. Fandral and Hilde understood, but the rest? They seemed more hesitant to forgive your abandonment. And the longer you stayed, the more you proved that you did love Thor, the less you gave them concession to be angry.

You wanted their approval because they were Thor’s friends. They were the closest thing he had to family besides Loki and that estranged sister neither of them talked about. You could understand their hesitance, but that didn’t mean you had to like it. What if they always felt like this? What would that mean for you and Thor, if his family didn’t accept you like they once had? What did you have to do to prove to them that this time, you were going to do everything the right way? That you wouldn’t dare hurt him again?

All you could do was hope that, one day, you’d be able to work your way back into their good graces. Hopefully soon, because you wanted to start talking about the future with Thor, but you knew the future would involve his _entire_ family. You wanted it to.

Bruce came over then, his heavy footsteps signaling his approach. You turned out of the way and stood next to Thor, gripping his hand as the three eyes between you landed on the doctor. He flipped a page over on his clipboard, then looked up at Thor.

“Okay, so Tony and I were able to get the circuitry under control,” he said. “Shouldn’t get any little shocks this time.”

Thor smiled. “Good, good. Can I try it?”

He’d been enthusiastic throughout the entire processes. Since the day after he’d come home from the hospital, Thor and Stark had been in contact about this. A week after he’d been home, he’d brought you here, to Stark Industries to being the process of fitting him with a new eye. A special eye. A Smart Eye, according to Stark; an efficient one according to Bruce. And you were excited for him, really, but the process had been a long series of trial and error, elevated hopes and disappointed expectations.

You wanted it to be over so he could be really happy again. You also wanted to take the taser stick back to Grant’s neck and make sure you finished the job this time, but he was in jail and Hydra was under a federal investigation. So you had to settle for this.

Bruce nodded, then Thor pulled off his eyepatch. He handed it to you, trusting you not to lose or break it. You never did.

You held onto Thor with your free hand while Bruce went back to his desk, rummaged through a drawer, and pulled out a small plastic box. He brought that back over with a pair of gloves.

“It’s still gonna feel weird, at least at first,” he said, shoving his large hands into the vinyl gloves. “But I think we finally got the shape right.”

A few months ago, Tony had been working on a program that would be able to scan the socket and map out the dimensions necessary for the eye, but like all experiments, it took a bit of tweaking and adjustment to get everything right.

Thor nodded again. You both watched carefully as Bruce opened the box, pulled out the prosthetic eye as carefully as he could, then faced Thor. He brought his free hand up to hold open the eyelid, which normally hung shut with nothing to hide behind it except exposed skin.

“We gotta do this quickly,” Bruce said. He counted down, putting the eye into place just outside of Thor’s face. On three, you looked away and merely listened to the odd, wet sounds of the eye going in. “There. What do you see?”

You turned back, squeezing Thor’s hand without having meant to. He didn’t say anything, just looked around the room with both eyes wide open. As you looked at the current model of the prosthetic eye, you noticed that Bruce had finally gotten the color right. It matched Thor’s natural eye perfectly, where older models had been too dark or too light. And it moved seamlessly, like it had always been there, had always moved like a regular eye.

Thor started laughing. It began as a little chuckle, but quickly became excited, exasperated, full-on laughs. His chest shook with them, and when he looked at you, you watched the prosthetic pupil dilate. It almost unsettled you, but there was something about it that made you know you just needed to get used to it. If the eye worked, if Thor could see through it and process information the way he could before, you weren’t about to ruin that for him.

And how could you, when he had a look of pure, unadulterated joy smacked over his face? He hopped off the table and, in an instant, picked you up, crushing your chests together as you yelled out. You couldn’t help but follow the sound with a laugh.

“Hey, hey,” Bruce said, his hands suddenly at Thor’s shoulders. “Take it easy, okay? We don’t know how well the prosthetic will take or-”

“Lookin’ good, Point Break,” you heard as Thor put you down. You looked over your shoulder just in time to watch Tony Stark come into the room, twirling a pen around his fingers. “What’s the world look like now?”

“Ridiculously clear, but only in one eye,” Thor answered with a shrug. The joyful smile on his face didn’t fade, but you noticed that his left eye was squinting just slightly.

“We can adjust the prescription,” Bruce offered, going back to his desk once more. He came back with a tablet, and as he moved his fingers around the screen, Tony went over to him, standing to watch over his shoulder.

Thor stiffened for a second, staring off behind you as, you assumed, the new eye adjusted. If you looked close enough, you could see the mechanical iris shift, though it did so just barely.

“Tell me when it’s even,” Bruce mumbled, sliding his finger across the tablet.

It only took a few seconds before Thor lifted a hand and said, “There!” his eyes shifted to you - together - and he seemed to relax. “Yeah. Right there.”

You couldn’t say why his gaze made you warm, but it did. You lifted a hand to the floppy hairs hanging over his eyebrow and bit your lip. “Looks good?” you asked.

He nodded. “Yeah. Real good.” He went to wrap his arms all the way around you, but Tony cleared his throat.

“‘Kay, listen lovebirds. We’re gonna run remote diagnostics but we need you to stick around for a bit. Just a few hours,” he said, tapping his pen against the opposite forefinger. “Grab some lunch or something.”

Thor looked from Tony to Bruce, who shrugged without a word. So he put his hand in one of your back pockets, shook both Tony and Bruce’s hands, and said, “Just call us if you need us,” before he walked with you out of the laboratory.

You found the cafeteria easily. “Cafeteria” was an understatement; it was more like a food court, with different vendors and styles of food set up all around the huge room. Booths upon booths, tables upon tables were set up all over, but you and Thor took a second to walk around the perimeter first. You let him see everything while you tried to decide what to eat.

“So,” you said, your arm strung low across his back, “how does it feel?”

“Still a little weird.” He shrugged. “But not something I can’t get used to. I never knew how much I didn’t see until I only had one eye, you know?”

You didn’t, but he knew that, so you nodded.

“How does it look?” he asked, turning his head to you as if you hadn’t already gotten a chance to see the new eye.

You smiled up at him. “Really good,” you said, your chin practically resting on his shoulder. “They finally got the color just right. I can only tell one’s a machine because I watched Bruce put it in.”

His smile widened as he leaned down to kiss you. After a quick peck, you both continued around the room. He looked all over, taking in the sunlight through the glass ceiling, reading signs over booths and counters. Eventually, you decided on tacos for lunch; Thor paid after you ordered, then you went to find a booth to sit in. He carried the food over and slid into his seat across from you.

“Hey so,” he said as you’d started to eat. “You mentioned Australia before, in the lab.”

You chewed slowly for a second, then nodded. “I did. Wouldn’t mind a nice little trip, maybe find that [Norse-Thor-themed bar](https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/thor-viking-restaurant-australia/index.html) or something.”

He smirked at that, taking a bite of his taco. He swallowed the bite, followed it with a quick drink, then went back to the topic at hand. “That sounds like a plan to me.”

With a taco halfway to your mouth, you paused. “What?” you asked him, brow creasing in confusion.

He ran his tongue over his teeth behind his lips, then put his food down before crossing his arms on the table. “I was going to wait ‘til closer to Christmas to tell you,” he started, both of his eyes trained on your reaction. “But I’m surprising you with a trip for New Years Eve.”

You put your food down, too. “To Australia?” you asked.

Thor nodded. “I’ve got some friends there that want to meet you,” he said, and before he could continue, you muttered, “Of course you do.” He rolled his eyes and you laughed. “Anyway, yes. We’re going to Australia in a couple weeks, for a couple weeks. We’ve got tickets for a New Years cruise, and if you want, I can try to get us reservations for that bar you mentioned.”

“We’re going to Australia,” you said, breathlessly incredulous.

His smile shifted, and the skin around his eyes crinkled. It’d been a while since you’d seen both eyes light up like that, and that thought made your heart skip a beat. Prosthetic or no, Thor was beautiful…and he was yours. So you reached out, grabbed his hand and said, “Thank you, Baby.”

His thumb traced over your palm as he replied, “We’re going to Australia!”

//

The New Years Eve party was Gatsby-themed. You were surprised Gatsby was even a thing in Australia, but apparently, the host of the party was from Utah. So that no longer surprised you.

You found the [perfect dress](http://i63.tinypic.com/j6hkxg.jpg) for the evening: a flapper-esque gown with a a black fitted slip beneath a sheer layer with a huge peacock decorated in beading. The fringe at the bottom was a bright green like the plume of a peacock, too, and it matched the vest and pocket square Thor wore as part of his black, blue, and green three-piece suit.

His friends that you met - a strikingly handsome gentleman named Heimdall who worked directly for Odin most of Thor’s life, an older man who reminded you of Jeff Goldblum, and a handful of old school friends - hardly even noticed the new eye. Or if they did, they said nothing of it. So he stood tall, seeing all that he could, holding you close all night.

For the first time since the wedding in Sweden, Volstaag actually laughed with you. He and Sif had come to the party, too, trailing Fandral and his date, and the six of you had such a good time together that you really felt like you could relax. Maybe they really would forgive you one day.

Instead of watching the fireworks at midnight, you watched Thor’s face. He was better than any nighttime display, and the look of reverence and awe in his eyes at the show made everything else around you fade.

When you made it back to his estate early the next morning, you were exhausted. But Thor felt alive - he’d said so himself just a few minutes before he picked you up and placed you in the center of his large bed. You’d already undone the intricate placement of your hair and wiped off most of your makeup, so you didn’t mind when he climbed over you and came down for a kiss.

He tasted of whiskey and cinnamon - from drinks and cannolis at the party. You didn’t know if either were on brand for the theme, but both had been delicious, so you didn’t question it.

When he pulled back from you, he asked, “How’re you liking Sydney?”

You couldn’t stop smiling up at him. “My only complaint so far is that 42 Wallaby Way isn’t real,” you said, earning a laugh from him.

“Never ever heard that one before,” he said with a sarcastic tone, shaking his head. He came back in for another kiss, this one much shorter, before asking again, “But really, what do you think?”

You could see, even in his new eye, that he wanted - or maybe needed - your validation. And you knew from experience that those looks were reserved for times when he had ideas. So, as you ran your fingers through his short hair, you relaxed. “It’s gorgeous. And warm. And I have the _best_ tour guide in the world to show it to me.”

He seemed to relax at that, too, saying, “Good.” There was another kiss, this one a little longer than the last. And then, “Would you say you like it enough to maybe consider coming more often? For longer?”

You felt your smile smooth out into a straighter line. You weren’t worried, just curious, and you hoped he could see that. “You mean like…like move here?”

Thor took a pause, then situated himself so that he still lay over you, but most of his body was beside you on the bed. His arms, however, came to rest by your shoulders. One of your hands wrapped around one of his wrists, the other still tangled in his hair.

“Maybe,” he said. “Not permanently or anything. Just…maybe for a few months at a time or something, you know? Whenever we need to get away from Loki or if I have a job here or something.”

“You have a job here?” you asked.

“Nothing official yet.” His eyes turned to the peacock on your shoulder. “But there are a few companies that have…expressed an interest in what I do.”

“What,” you started, “like with your dad’s company, or what _you_ do?”

His smile spread again, teeth shining even in the dim light of the room. “What I do,” he said quietly, bashfully still looking away from you, despite the proud little laugh he gave.

“Yes,” you said just as quietly. “In that case, we’re definitely coming back, whenever we need to and for however long.”

There was no doubt in your mind. Thor had spent your entire relationship supporting and encouraging your passion, your art. You’d do the same for him and more, if you could. And in the short amount of time you’d been in Australia, you really had fallen in love with it. You could see yourself here, with Thor, for long periods. You could do art anywhere in the world, so why not?

Maybe not in this gigantic house, though. He’d told you it’d been in his family for generations, and because of that, you didn’t know how he’d feel if you suggested selling it. But the place was massive, especially in comparison to the house he’d designed, built, and lived in back in Malibu. But maybe he didn’t have to sell the house - maybe he could repurpose it or something. All you knew for sure was that the place was too big for you, and didn’t at all reflect either you or Thor.

“But,” you said, and that got his attention back to your face. “What if I was your first client?”

“What’d you mean?” he asked.

“I want a giant office, so we can both get our work done without being on top of one another,” you said. “And a pool. Not a fancy one or anything, just a quiet place to swim, should I feel so inclined.”

He stared, confused at first, so you decided to move him. You turned, your hand in his bringing him with you, and threw a leg across his torso. The black slip under the mesh of your dress rode up on your thighs, but you didn’t care.

“I want lots of windows for natural sunlight. And one of those sinks that look like fishbowls, and another jacuzzi tub because I can’t live without one now. And for the love of God if you don’t give me a garage, you better think of something _extra_ special to make up for it.”

Realization dawned on him then, as his hands went to your thighs to rub softly. He sat up so he was level with you before saying, “You want me to build you a house?”

“I want you to build _us_ a house.” You kissed his nose and put your hands on the back of his neck. “I know you love this one, but it’s too much. There’s _too much space_ , you know? And I want a place I can paint and decorate without feeling like I’m defiling it.” You kissed him, and his hands moved up and around to your back, pulling you as close to him as you’d get. After a minute, you leaned back because you weren’t done. “I want it to be a place for us. Home. And I want it to be a marvel, so don’t go slacking on extra design elements.”

He laughed at that, setting your heart into a fast pace. “Any other requirements, Honey?” he asked before diving in to move his lips along your shoulder, across the beaded peacock, and up to your neck.

“Just three. Do the thing you love, like you allowed me to,” you whispered. “Do it well because you love it. And love me.”

His lips met yours again. He sighed and leaned into you, reminding you once more of just how lucky you were to have him. How lucky you were that everyone in your family was safe, that you had someone like Daisy looking out for you enough to introduce you to the most perfect thing in your life.

He didn’t even pull back fully before he mumbled, “Already pretty deep in the last one.” He breathed deeply, both of his gorgeous blue irises on yours. “I’d say I’m ahead of the game.” Then, in a quieter voice, a breathy whisper against your lips, “I love you.”

You smiled against him and said, “I love you so much. Thank you. For everything.” _For the home you’ll build, for the compassion you’ve shown, for the acceptance you’ve given and the forgiveness I’ll always work to earn. For the support. For this family. For your love._


End file.
